EPILOGUE: DRAGONBALL Z The Lost Z Soldier COMPLETE
by noctorro
Summary: After DBGT, the Z Soldiers face an Emperor who ressurects people from the dead, resulting in a war with the greatest DBZ villains of time. But Gohan sees a familiar face behind the Emperor's mask of evil. Sequel to the Firebird Saga.
1. Introduction: Fourteen Years Ago

__

"Not very many people know this, and the ones that do have been sworn to secrecy. Once upon a time, I had a brother. His name was Son Goken. His life was cut short at the young age of six, when a demonic creature that called itself the Firebird entered his body and started claiming Goken's powers as it's own. 

Misguided by my treatment of him, Goken worked together with the Firebird, but was horrified that the demon wanted to use him only as an instrument of death and destruction. But by then, it was too late. They had merged into one and I was forced to do the unthinkable. To destroy the Firebird would also mean killing my own brother. In the end, the sacrifice of Goken's life saved the Earth from any further destruction. 

That was fourteen years ago, just after the Cell tournaments. Goken lives on in our memories, not as a misguided child, but as a brother I am fond of. We chose not to speak of him to help getting over his death easier for all of us. Life continued on as usual, or at least, as usual as it gets for a Z Soldier. Since then, we have thwarted similar efforts to that of the Firebird by Majin Buu and Emperor Pilaf. Goken was nothing more than a distant memory when one day, the events that happened fourteen years ago came back to haunt us."

- Son Gohan 

***

**__**

MAIN CHARACTERS 

Son Goku: The main character of the Dragon Ball series. He belongs to a race of supreme beings called the Saiyans. In his marriage to Chichi, daughter of the Ox King, he has two children, Gohan and Goten. Since the end of Dragon Ball GT, he has merged with the Eternal Dragon and left his wife and children behind on earth. 

****

Chichi: Daughter of the Ox King and Goku's loving wife. Despite her short temper, she can be a loving mother to her two children and husband, and a great cook to boot. Chichi is also overprotective of her family and would rather have her children grow up to be successful business men than the martial art warriors they are right now.

****

Son Gohan: A successful scholar, Gohan is Goku and Chichi's first born child. He is married to the daughter of a renowned martial artist Mr. Satan, whom he met when attending high school. Gohan lives with his wive, Videl and their young daughter, Pan.

****

Son Goten: The second born son of Goku and Chichi, he is a growing boy with typical teenage tendancies. He is best friends with Trunks, the son of Goku's rival and Bulma, a president of a successful technological business called Capsule Corporation. 

****

Piccolo: A green skinned warrior from the Planet Namek. At once a rival of Goku's, and another time the God of the Earth, Piccolo is now a humble warrior who fights alongside Goku in times of danger.

****

Vegeta: Also known as the Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta has a stuck up attitude and is very bitter to those around him, including his own family. But beneath the violent surface is a good hearted Saiyan who is slightly power hungry.

****

Bulma: Since young, this blue haired mechanic has been by Goku's side through all his adventures. She is like an older sister to him. Her skills have proven to be a major asset as she entered adulthood, establishing her own company. Bulma is married to Vegeta and has two children with him; Trunks and Bra.

**__**

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Son Goken: The mysterious third child of Son Goku and Chichi, Goken was actually born before Goten during the seven year gap between the Cell tournaments and the coming of Majin Buu. He was possessed by a creature called the Firebird, and had to be killed. Goken's death hurt Gohan and Chichi very deeply, so much that they chose to never speak of him again with the purpose of easing the pain. Goken has since been given a second chance at life and now supposedly lives happily in another world, completely severed from the Dragon Ball universe.

****

The Firebird: The creature that possessed Goken. In the end, along with Goken, the Firebird killed by Gohan in an intense power struggle. He was sentenced to eternity in the flames of Hell, but somehow managed to escape. His whereabouts are unknown…

Emperor Doale: A blood thirsty, power hungry Emperor, Doale murdered his parents in cold blood in order to inherit his empire from them. He is now the Emperor of the Dark Empire, creator of a unique technology called T3, which enables him to reach various dimensions. However since his appearance on Earth and his encounters with the Z Soldiers, he begins to start showing signs that suggest he could be the reincarnated version of Son Goken…

****


	2. Prologue: Enter Emporer Doale

Prologue

Emperor Doale collapsed in a heap onto his throne, the cold metal seat and backrest coming into contact with his back and hamstrings. Even the large black cape drooping from his shoulders didn't stop the cold from seeping through. _And they call this a throne, _he thought bitterly. _Feels more like an ice block to me. _

Doale's dark eyes pierced the dimness of the room. His throne sat upon an elevated platform made of marble - or was it tile? He never knew cause it was always so goddamn dim in here. At each end of the rectangular shaped platform, a guard stood dressed in rusty battle armor that covered their upper bodies, groin, and shins. Each one of them stood in attention, focused and unmoving with only one order - protect the Emperor. 

Doale scoffed at the idea of him needing to be protected. Had he not proved himself to his empire already? He'd single handedly murdered both of his parents in their sleep. The fortune they had to pass onto him was far to valuable to wait until they died of natural causes, so he'd decided to speed up the process a little. Just a quick slice of the knife across their throats in the dead of the night and the deed was over in less than a minute. Nobody could've heard him anyway, the kings snoring was so damn loud. 

Doale smirked, remembering the incompetence of his parents. Sure, they helped to expand their empire by developing the T3, which stood for transdimensional teleportation technology. Under their leadership, they led the empire to conquer world after world, dimension after dimension but they were blinded for their own greed for power to effectively plan a strategic method to conquer the civilizations of dimensions. But Doale knew better. It was safer to rely on oneself, especially if the subject was a ruler, vulnerable to assassination, as his parents had proved so well. They'd relied too much on guards for protection and generals for strategy planning, so all they knew was the need for power. But the young prince educated himself on these things - things like how to run an empire. Again, he shook his head and the incompetence of his parents. 

He tore his mind away from their memory and stared out the window of the room at the stars floating by. Using the T3 technology, Doale's empire, known simply as the Dark Empire, had just entered a new dimension. The energy readings proved to be extremely high, most of it being given off by species known as Nameks, Saiyans, and the Gods of the planets known as Kami. From what Doale could see, the Saiyans were nearly extinct, forced to pass their blood down through humans - the weakest of the intelligent species. But the Human-Saiyan hybrids, or at least what few of them they were, possessed powers that surpassed that of their parents combined! Imagining the addition of power they could add to the Dark Empire, Doale's mouth began to water, much to his surprise. _This is going to be a very rewarding experience…_

At the young age of seventeen years, the young Emperor had already taken the Empire from under the rule of his parents. He stood up and walked slowly over to the giant glass window on one side of the room. 

Doale stared at the Sun they were just passing, it's light brightening the room. Their first stop would be Earth, a planet orbiting this star. He gazed at the star's magnificent glow, watching it's surface explode with fiery arcs of solar eruptions. One after the other they came up and dissipated in the atmosphere, as if performing some coordinated dance, hypnotizing him. Perhaps it was Doale's imagination, but it looked as if the Sun's flames were beginning to create some kind of shape, like that of a bird. 

The young Emporer was hit with a strong sense of familiarity, déjà vu most people would call it. Only this was much stronger. For a moment it felt like he was actually _living_ in his memory. It felt so real - the flames and the biting cold, both happening simultaneously. Then there was the death of innocents, the destruction of a city, all of it was his doing. Then there was an intense hatred for someone … the memory didn't last long enough for Doale to put a finger on it. And then a horrible sense of guilt etched itself in his soul. 

It had all happened in less than a second. It felt as if he was living as somebody else for that moment. That was the only conclusion he could come to, because Doale had murdered innocents countless times in the past and never had he felt any remorse. You could almost say he felt pleasure. 

He quickly forgot the thought and started away from the window. Now that they had passed the star, the room was once again shrouded in darkness as the Emperor prepared to exit, when he found himself repeating the word over and over again in his mind. He didn't know where it came from or why he was repeating it, but the one thing he was sure of was that it had sent chills up and down his spine. _Firebird…_


	3. Chapter 1: Trouble in the Sky

Chapter 1

"Dad!" a calm but firm voice rang through the dome shaped walls of the Son residence, "hurry up or we're gonna be late for the picnic!" Pan, the young daughter of Gohan stood in the doorway, one hand resting on the frame, the other on her hip. Her straight black hair was tied back into a neat braid that rested on her shoulder. A little make up on her teenage face helped to enhance her attractive features.

Another shrill voice from outside joined in the chorus Pan had already begun. "Gohan! Hurry up! You know Bulma won't wait around forever!" 

Gohan shuddered at the thought of the blue haired woman. She was a genius and always had been for as long as he'd known her. Even at her old age, her temper stubbornly refused to subside, much like the woman herself. She was the president of a very successful company called Capsule Corporation that specialized in creating everyday items that could fit easily into a small capsule.

Gohan appeared in the kitchen doorway. He held in his arms a picnic basket, a blanket, a backpack full of sports gear, a badminton net … It piled so high that his face was hidden behind the mound. Only the tips of his spiked black hair could be seen. "Have you seen my glasses, Videl?" he asked his wife, who now stood behind Pan.

"Oh Daddy," Pan said sighing outwardly, "let me help you with that." She walked over to him in a quick fluid motion, and separated the pile in two, taking half of it. Pan effortlessly lifted the pile of picnic confections and headed for Bulma's plane, parked outside. 

"Alright!" Videl said clapping her hands together. "It's time to go! Oh this is so exciting, it's been so long since we've seen the Brief family. It's been such a long time since _we've_ spent time together as a family - Gohan why aren't you MOVING?!" 

Gohan stood rooted to the spot and said in a shy, insecure tone, "Have you seen my glasses Videl?"

"Urgh," she grunted in frustration. "I have them right here." She reached in to her pocket and pulled out a thick, dark framed pair of glasses. Videl put them on Gohan's face for him. He blinke twice to adjust his eyes and smiled. 

"Thanks, dear," he said. 

***

Gohan watched the clouds sail by in a blur of white, sitting on one of the luxurious leather seats of Bulma's private jet. He was hypnotized by their movement but listening in on the surrounding conversation at the same time. Over in the back, he could hear his younger brother Goten and Trunks, who was the purple haired son of Bulma around the same age as Goten engaging in shallow teenage male talk. That usually meant the exchanges of the words "hot", "chick", "like", "boobs" and "whoa" various times in one sentence. 

Over near the front, Pan sat with Bra, the younger daughter of Bulma, giggling girlishly. Their high, pre teen voices were too squeaky and giggly for Gohan to make out what they were saying - not that he cared. _And not too long ago, I was once the age Goten is now. _Whoever made up the term "time flies" wasn't kidding. _Except when I was Goten's age, I was busy saving the world from Cell, Majin Buu, the Shen Longs of the Black Star Dragon Balls and … the Firebird… _

Gohan could never forget the past enemies they've defeated, just for their sheer strength and the power of their evil. But the Firebird was something else. It was a creature that had taken away somebody from his family. Over the years, Gohan had made an attempt to leave the memories of the Firebird and Goken in the past. 

From an outsiders point of view, it would have appeared he was doing a good job. Since Gohan's teenage years, he's studied in the top universities in the world and graduated as a scholar. He's also since put his fighting days behind him. He was now married and had a young daughter - things appeared to be going smoothly for him indeed.

But every once in awhile, he would remember the horror and excitement of his fighting days. And even less often than that, he would allow his mind to recall the events that happened fourteen years ago, the events that him, and all the other Z Soldiers present at the time have tried to forget. _The Firebird … damn that thing to hell._ He cursed at the creature even to this day, but was still pretty sure it was suffering eternal torment in hell. 

Again, Gohan focused on the clouds in the bright sky outside. Somewhere out there, Goken was alive. He was probably living life without a care in the world with a family he loves, new friends. _Which is so much more than we were able to give him. _Gohan mentally punished himself for feeling guilty for how he treated Goken. _There was no way you knew Goken wasn't a Saiyan. By the vigorous training, you were trying to help him! It's not your fault. _Despite being a successful scholar, all the logic in the world couldn't lodge that horrible sense of guilt that lingered somewhere at the back of his mind. 

But things had ended well between them when Goken said his last goodbye. He had presented them with his parting gift - another younger brother for Gohan, complete with name - Goten. Gohan looked at Goten, a teenage boy now and wondered how old Goken would be, what he would look like.

A tap on the shoulder jerked Gohan back to reality. "Hey Gohan, I just wanted to ask some advice from you," Goten said, running a hand nervously through his black matted hair. He lowered his voice to make certain Pan and Bra wouldn't hear him speak. "There's like, this really hot chick with boobs that I like, like. And I want to ask her out, but everytime I do, it's like, whoa!" 

Gohan was about to respond when the plane shook with a tremendous force. A blinding light shone outside through the window as the plane experienced bad turbulence. Bulma's panicked voice came on the communication speakers saying, "Everyone buckle up. It feels like we're riding some kind of a shock wave. It should be over in a few seconds!" 

Just after she finished her sentence, the plane stopped shaking and everyone looked around, as if waiting for some kind of explosion. Nothing happened. "What was that all about?" Videl asked, clutching her chest. 

"I have no idea," Goten replied, "but at least it's over. Let's just hurry up and land this thing."

"It's not over yet," Gohan said, as he was staring at the window. 

"Why?" Videl asked, and joined him at the window. What she saw made her heart jump into her throat. High in the sky, hundreds of shining balls of light were ripping their way into the earth's atmosphere. It looked like a meteor shower, only the balls of light were going a lot slower and were heading right for them. 

***

They were entering the earth's atmosphere. Emperor Doale closed his eyes and surrounded his body in a shield of ki. He could feel the outside temperature as it climbed up to immeasurable temperatures. This planet's atmosphere was thick and the friction against his ship was intense. The rest of the Dark Empire's assault squad was just behind them, in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

**_WHAM!_**

Doale's body collided with the wall, as if some invisible force had pushed him. Except his body was still held to the wall with what felt like G force. _What the hell is the pilot of this ship thinking!? _And his body was taken off the wall and slammed onto the floor. 

__

"My sincerest apologies your highness," the pilots voice said over the intercom almost immediately. "We almost crashed with another airborne ship. I had no choice but to avoid a collision." Grabbing his side and wincing in pain, the Emperor cursed under his breath and made a mental note to execute this moron of a pilot as soon as they touched down. 

_But what was that he said about another ship? _It seemed the people of this world had the technology to develop vehicles. By all rights he shouldn't have been surprised. The humans, who dominated the planet, were an intelligent species after all. He had underestimated them and Doale made a point not to do it again. Now that they were here, the Earth was theirs for the taking.


	4. Chapter 2: Deja Vu

The intense pressure threatened to crush Gohan. He could feel the air being pushed out of his lungs by invisible force on his chest. It was as though his torso and limbs turned into lead and now weighed him down, preventing any movement.   
Bulma's state of the art, sleek, private jet was nothing more than a helpless bird in the sky spiraling down to its doom. As it plummeted through the earth`s atmosphere, random fragments of metal broke off from the wings, tail and body, creating a small tail of debris behind the disintegrating aircraft.   
They had been hit by something ・something traveling at an extremely high speed. Gohan wasn't sure when it hit exactly. He only felt the plane jerk upward for a second, as if Bulma had intended for them to dodge something. The next thing he knew, they were weightless and then the pressure hit. It grew to enormous amounts, which he guessed could've only meant the downward spiral of the plane. It was as if the earth's gravitational pull had increased two fold and -  
_And why are you complaining? He asked himself. It's not like you've never trained in one of Bulma's gravity rooms before! Point taken. Gohan clenched every muscle in his body, and very slowly, managed to get up. It had been awhile since he'd trained, and his body now screamed bloody murder. Gathering his inner strength, Gohan cleared his mind, forcing out all distractions, despite his current situation. It took a lot of concentration to ignore the pressure, the horrible motion sickness that threatened to make him display his lunch._

*          *          *

Emperor Doale had never experience such intense pain in his life. Anything that could hurt did. And it wasn't the sharp pain like that of a knife, more like a dull hurting somewhere inside him, slowly driving him insane. _That and the darkness.__ Where the hell am I? _

Doale opened his eyes and saw a blurry mesh of vibrant colors. The pain in his ears came from a high pitched creature singing somewhere up in a tree near where he lay. Doale absorbed his surroundings and yes, he was on the floor, _sprawled out belly first, just like an Emperor should. __Chirp! The bird sang again, and was reduced to a pile of burnt, once violet and red feathers. For a disoriented person, Doale's aim with a laser gun was spectacular. He'd always kept one attached to his belt in case of an emergency. Though this time it may not have been an emergency, it was necessary nonetheless._

Doale waited a moment for his eyes to focus. He planted his palms firmly on the ground, feeling the itchy grass poke through his fingers, and pushed himself up, grunting with effort. His entire back cracked and a whole new wave of pain erupted from it. 

Refusing to be defeated, the Emperor rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the rubble that surrounded him. Burning pieces of what used to be his airship littered the lush surroundings of a forest with their charred black remains.

_So the ship is gone. We must've collided with something in midair. But what about the others…? His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden movement to his right, somewhere in a dense bush. The rustle was too deliberate to be that of the wind. Doale raised an open palm in the general direction of the noise and spoke in a low menacing voice. "You have three seconds to show yourself before I put an end to your pathetic existence."_

A short, round man popped out of the bushes, sporting gray, balding hair and a thick goatee. He spoke quickly and apologetically, bumbling like a fool. "My sincerest apologies your highness," he said, "Thank goodness we've found you! We lost track of your ship shortly after entering the atmosphere and started a search party. As the head of security I am most proud to say my efforts have finally paid off…"

Doale watched the man work himself into a slobbering dog with a curious intensity. _What does he mean head of security? I've never seen this fool in my life!_

A sharp pain somewhere in Doale's chest exploded suddenly. He clutched his chest and was brought to his knees, wheezing. The short round man didn't react well and nearly hyperventilated to death himself. "Oh dear, this is terrible, just terrible, your highness! Help!" He began running around in circles, screaming at the top of his lungs, "HELP!! Somebody! Our Emporer is down!"

Doale couldn't figure out whether it was his condition causing him to go red with rage or this panicked dwarf in front of him. "Get back to the others," he ordered, "and tell them to start up a camp. I want them to send medics right away!"

"Y…yes sir!" The apparent head of security paused in his panic for a moment and saluted the Emperor before running off again and tripping over a fallen log, disappearing into the forest.

*          *          *

Gohan couldn't believe it. Whatever Bulma had pressed, it caused the parachute at the back of the plane to burst open, stopping it's nosedive into the ground. Instead, the plane was carried safely onto the earth, and all those inside escape with scrapes and bruises. Nothing more serious. 

They had been helping each other get out of the rubble when they heard the screams for help. Gohan and Goten volunteered to go check out what it could've been.

It was a surprising discovery for Gohan and Goten and first. The screams for help sounded pretty urgent. But upon arriving at the scene of trouble, it was little more than a boy crouching on the ground, clutching his chest. Perhaps it was more serious that it appeared.

"Hey are you alright?" Gohan asked, approaching the boy, who looked back with dark, black eyes. The dark hair on his head sat like a straw mat, uncombed and messy. He looked about Goten's age, but the aura surrounding him was definitely different. This one hadn't even uttered a word yet and already he seemed like a cold and cruel person.  This boy was dressed in a strange form of dark armor, as if from some other world. An enormous, elaborate cape wrapped around his shoulders, supposedly signifying some form of royalty. Gohan wanted to snicker a little because the boy was practically swimming in that grand cape. Nonetheless, Gohan was still willing to extend a warm hand of assistance. But he couldn't help but wonder why someone like him would be doing in the middle of a forest. 

Gohan stood with an open, extended hand towards the fallen boy, who crouched on the ground, clutching his chest in pain, and that was when the familiar feeling returned.

_"Goken you're not trying hard enough!!" Gohan could hardly contain his anger and frustration. Laziness, that's what it is! How is the world ever going to rely on us when all you can do is sit there and complain about how much you hurt all the time?_

_"When you drag me out in the middle of the forest so damn early in the morning, how can you expect me to be energetic without any breakfast?!"___

_"When Piccolo trained me in the middle of the desert, do you think I had all of these necessities -"_

_"Stop living in the goddamn past, Gohan!" Goken shouted. The next thing Goken felt was a sharp palm to the face and a solid punch to the chest, knocking him backwards and onto the cold ground. Goken ignored the pain that spread from his back and his head, but sat up and looked at his brother instead, seeing the cold look on Gohan's face._

_Gohan__, feeling the stab of guilt, extended his hand down to his fallen brother and said, "Come on Goken. That's enough for today. Let's go home."_

The reluctance to accept his helping hand on Goken's face was once again reflected in the expression this boy bore. "I'm sorry," Gohan said out of habit. He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. Maybe for what he did to Goken? After all, this kid resembled his late brother quite a bit. The black hair, the age, the stubbornness … it was as if Gohan were looking at Goken in the past. 

*          *          *

"I'm fine," Doale said. The look on the older boys face seemed to suggest he'd just been snapped out of a stupor. "Look I dunno who you are, but thanks for trying to help me." Doale felt his heart start to pound in fear. He knew his men would be sending medics for him soon. And if they discovered this stranger near their Emperor, his life and the life of his assistant would definitely be in jeopardy. The urgency raised in Doale's voice.  "Get out of here now! I'll be alright just go!"

The two good Samaritans hurried off, completely confused by Doales reaction. But Doale knew why he had to act the way he did. It was to save two innocent lives –

As if by itself, Doale's right hand brought itself up and slapped him across the face. _What the hell am I thinking?? He wondered. __Why did I feel the need to save innocent lives? I'm the emperor of an evil empire for god sakes! __Maybe the fact that they seemed rather familiar had something to do with it. WHAT? Since when did they seem familiar? But now that I think about it … maybe they did …oh god I hit myself pretty hard there. _


	5. Chapter 3: Legend of the Eight Star Drag...

"Some picnic this turned out to be," Gohan mumbled under his breath, as locks of his black hair whipped painfully around his face. He could hardly open his eyes, the wind was blowing so hard. "Getting all our stuff destroyed in a plane crash and – OW!!" Gohan felt something dig painfully into his shoulder. 

"Oh sorry daddy," Pan said apologetically. "It's just that you're flying a little fast, and it's hard to hold on. I didn't realize I was _that heavy."_

Gohan was about to say something, but then decided it would be better not to comment about a girl's weight. During the dating period of his and Videl's relationship, she had taught him well. It was just his luck to get a daughter so much like her mother; the jet black hair, round eyes, just the beautiful features overall, complete with stubborness. 

"You don't want them to hear that," a voice poked into Gohan's mind. Telepathy. Gohan turned to look beside him to see a wicked grin spread on Piccolo's face. Or at least, that was what he thought he saw because of the strong wind blowing.

"You seem pretty bothered," Bulma said, appearing beside Gohan. She was supported by Vegeta's arms, who was flying above her. Gohan wondered how Bulma could feel so safe knowing her life was literally in Vegeta's hands. "Hope you're not too bothered about the ruined picnic trip."

"I'd think you'd be more bothered by losing your plane," Gohan said. 

"Oh don't worry about it," Bulma replied waving a hand, "I'll have the people at Capsule Corporation build up another one in no time. I'm just worried you're not having fun anymore and-"

"You don't have to worry about me, Aunt Bulma," Gohan interrupted. He smirked, "I'm old now. Fun isn't in my job description."

"Nonsense! If you are old what does that make me? I'm sorry but I won't take such abuse from you, young one. But seriously, you're pretty quiet. This is so unlike you!"

"I've been thinking," Gohan replied. "That person we found in the middle of the forest."

"Why, what about him?" Bulma asked. 

"He just reminded me a lot of…"

"Don't say it Gohan," she said. "It's been fourteen years now. Life moves on."

"It's not that Goken's death still bothers me," Gohan replied. "In all honesty, he's a distant memory. It's just that when we found that kid in the forest, he looked _a lot like Goken. And not just on the outside, but the aura he seemed to give off … it was just familiar, that's all." _

"I think you damaged something in that plane crash," Bulma said, closing the conversation. You'll be fine when you get home and rest a little."    

*          *          *

"You're doing _WHAT??" The look on Emperor Doale's face threatened to inflict death upon the royal medic. _

"S…sorry sir," the medic, a tall, gray man said. He placed his hands protectively in front of his chest so as to soften any potential blows from the angry Emperor. "It's just that you have two cracked ribs as a result of the crash. And you're unfit for proper battle. Therefore I must restrict you to your quarters while we find a new general to take your place in the army for awhile." 

"This is outrageous! Do you know who I am?" Doale started ranting, much to the medic's expectations. "I am Emperor Doale of the Dark Empire! I single-handedly taken this empire from my worthless parents and all you can do is sit there and tell me how I'm not fit for battle? I do not get HURT!!"

Doale's eyes opened wide, his pupils dilated, and he clutched his chest in pain. He fell to the ground gasping for air and coughing at the same time. "Ouch…" a weak sound came out of his mouth. 

"Your highness, please calm down. You need rest." Doale swatted a hand at the medic. "Would your highness at least hear me out? Do you have any idea where we are getting the new general from?"

Doale looked at him with a fierce look in his eyes. "You are young, and so inexperienced. As our readings of this planet have shown, there are fierce and powerful warriors that live on this planet and we fear you may lack the experience in battle to lead us successfully to victory. Therefore we are searching for a new general with the experience of fighting these warriors that protect this planet."

"These warriors … what are they called?" Doale asked, the anger in his voice receding.

"Saiyans."   

"And without our help, your Empire will end here and now." The entrance flaps of the medic's tent flew open and in the doorway stood to tall figures. One was a strange alien looking creature with pink skin, dressed in battle boots and white pants, secured to his waist by a belt with a large "M" engraved on the buckle. On top of it's head, a long pink tentacle grew out down to it's waist. Holes adorned the top of it's head and shoulders.

The other creature was clad in green spotted armor that covered it's chest, legs and arms. On it's back, it had two giant shells that seemed to cover a pair of giant, beetle like wings. It strongly resembled a beetle with a humanoid face and limbs.

Their shadows swallowed Emperor Doale, who looked back at them, repressing the fear he instinctively felt. Determined not to appear weak in front of these creatures, he cleared his throat and asked them in an authoritative tone, "Who are you? State your business here."

"My name is Majin Buu," the pink one said. 

"Call me Cell," the other followed up. "I must say the technology your Empire possesses is quite impressive. Your scientists were able to tap into the nether realm and free our tortured souls. The only condition was that we help you destroy the Saiyans, something we've always wanted to do anyway."

"If they try anything against us," the medic said, "we've got it covered. We've pulled them out of the nether realm with a portal based on the T3 technology. We close the portal and they get pulled back to hell. It's the only thing keeping them here."

"And I assure you there will be no need for that," Majin Buu said, placing a hand on the young Emperor's shoulder. "We are under your command."

"First, you have to convince me that you'll be useful to me, so that I don't send you back to where you came from," Doale said, crossing his arms. 

*          *          *

_Who the hell does this guy think he is?! Majin Buu thought silently. When they had first been released from the nether realm, he had ideas of freedom. He kicked himself mentally for believing that. He was honored that someone with the power to cross dimensions was looking for him, of all people. But never did he consider what they wanted with him and that his freedom may have a price._

Cell shot Buu a look as if to say, "Don't do anything rash. You know he has the power to send us back right now and he can if he wants to. Don't to anything to convince him he doesn't need us."

"We have had encounters with the Saiyans before," Buu said, with as much forced respect he could muster into his tone. "In each of our respective encounters, we have fought, even killed some of them. If it weren't for the Dragon Balls, few of them would be alive today."

"What are these … Dragon Balls?" Doale asked.

"There are seven of these balls," Cell explained. "Each one has a number of stars within them from one to seven. When gathered and the right prayer is said, the Eternal Dragon comes forth and grants the founder of the balls three wishes. Depending if the wishes exceed that of the Eternal Dragon, the wishes may or may not be granted."

"In our cases, the warriors that we defeated were resurrected from the dead," Buu continued. "If we can prevent the warriors from reaching the Dragon Balls this time around, it won't be so easy to bring the dead ones back to life."

"The balls are scattered throughout the planet," Cell said. "All we need to do is to take one, and they won't be able to call upon the Eternal Dragon."

"We have no way of finding even one of them," Buu continued. "But there is an alternative. There are rumors of an Eight Star Dragon Ball with powers that surpass all of the other seven. It is said that this Dragon Ball is so powerful, it can even create life based on the element of fire. These creatures are called the Firebirds." 

*          *          *

_"I'm sorry dad… I let the Firebird through and now there's all this death…"_

_"Everyone's betrayed you, Goken. I am more than just the Firebird, I am your savior. Grant me access to your powers and combined, we will destroy those who have hurt you."  _

_"I'd rather die here and now than be a part of your twisted soul."_

_"Remember Goken, blood is thicker than water…"_

"Your highness, are you alright?" The medic placed a firm grasp on Doale's arm, jolting him back to reality.

"Holy shit, don't do that!!" Doale gasped, swinging at arm at the medic. 

"Sorry your highness, but you seemed to have gone into some kind of shock just a second ago." 

"I… I'm fine," Doale said, "just… I felt like these distant memories just … come into my head without warning. It kinda caught me by surprise."

"You seem to know something about the Firebirds," Cell said, smirking. "Otherwise you wouldn't have reacted like that."

_The Firebird.__ Upon the mere mention of that word, I go into shock. What the hell is happening to me? What are these images of fear and death I keep getting? "I know nothing about the Firebirds. Now then," he said, changing the subject, "we will be putting you through a series of tests that determine your power level. If you are useful enough, we will keep you. But I wouldn't test my patience if I were you." _


	6. Chapter 4: Missing from the Underworld

"Mom, we're home," Goten's voice echoed through the dome shaped walls of the Son residence, and back at him again. "She must've gone out shopping again." Goten moved to the side of the door way and began unbuckling his sandals, allowing his older brother behind him, to walk inside. Goten wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. The summer heat was uncomfortably hot without the wind blowing in his face when he was flying. 

After putting his sandals to one side, Goten walked into the house and closed the door behind him. Gohan had disappeared inside somewhere, he didn't care wherever, as long as he stayed out of the living room. "Gohan, I got Trunks coming over later in the evening so I get dibs on the living room. We're gonna be watching movies and playing video games all night!" He waited a moment for Gohan to respond but didn't hear anything. It irritated him. Goten knew his brother liked to watch T.V. in there almost every night but it wouldn't hurt to surrender the living room for one evening –_ And sure Trunks and I have been hogging the space for this entire weeks sofar, his conscience kicked in, __but the point is he's not responding because he doesn't wanna give it up. That's so immature!_

Goten walked towards the living room calling for his brother, footsteps thumping heavily to show his displeasure. "Gohan, you better listen up. Don't say I didn't warn-"

There, standing in the middle of the living room floor was an all too familiar sight, one Goten had hoped never to see again. Tall, white pants and pink skin with holes; it was Buu. Goten had to blink twice to make sure he was seeing correctly. But after blinking a second time, he noticed Buu was carrying someone in his arms. Her black hair was tied neatly into a bun without a wisp out of place, with a small trail of blood running down the right side of her face from the top of her head. Her slightly wrinkled face, from all the years of worrying about her family, showed no emotion. Chichi was unconscious and in the arms of Buu, whom Goten thought their father had killed years ago. 

"You put her down," Goten said, in his lowest, meanest tone. But a strong hand grasped his shoulder. As he spun around quickly to see who it was, a familiar voice spoke. 

"Don't do anything that could make them hurt Mom anymore," Gohan said. 

"What do you want with us, Buu?" Goten asked. "Better yet, what kind of sick freak would release you out of hell?"

Buu responded in a cold, sly voice, "That freak over there." He pointed to his left at a glass door that led to the backyard of the house. In an instant, the glass exploded, sending little sharp bits every which way. The debris dug painfully into Gohan and Goten's skin. And the pieces that hit Buu just flew right through his rubber like skin. 

"Mom!" Gohan cried. Small fresh cuts adorned Chichi's arms and legs. Through the shattered frame of the glass door stepped someone all too familiar.

"A freak like me," a boy said. "Emperor Doale."

"Dressed in a large black elaborate cape that swallowed his body, with a long piece of banded wound around his chest, wincing in pain as he walked, Gotens eyes widened upon recognition. "You're that kid from the forest!"

*          *          *

"What are you doing here?" Emperor Doale cried. "I thought I told you to get away from me and you've followed me here?!" Doale noticed a suspicious look from Buu, who remained silent. 

"We live here Einstein!" Goten exclaimed.

"You WHAT?!" Doale turned to Buu, "Why the hell are we attacking these people when we're supposed to be after the Saiyans?"

"They are the Saiyans," Buu said, frowing at Doale. 

He couldn't believe the irony of the situation. Two of his enemies tried saving him back in the forest, and he'd ended up saving their lives instead. And now he was here to kill them. Upon realizing this, the urge to kill the two teenagers standing before him subsided and there was no reason he could give for it. _They can't die, something inside his head told him. __Harm them and you'll be the one mourning their deaths. No matter how urgently the voice inside his head spoke, Doale could see Majin Buu raise the tentacle on his head and aim it at the two of them. A strong energy giving off blue light gathered at the tip of pink tentacle, getting ready to fire a deadly beam at the two of them. Doale wouldn't allow this to happen. _

He could feel the heat in the air gather at a single point on Buu's tentacle. A high pitched whirring sound rang in his ears, and it wouldn't stop rising. At any given moment now, the beam would find it's way into one of the boy's flesh, and rip right through his body. "NO!" Doale yelled, jumping in front of Buu, facing him with a resolved look on his face. Buu charged down the energy, the rage showing clearly in his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Do you want these two buggers killed or not?"

The realization hit Emperor Doale so hard, couldn't move. He couldn't even understand the reason behind his actions. Yet each time he tried to return to his original plan to kill the two boys, something inside of him resisted. _Why can't I do this? These are the people standing in the way of my victory, and I have the power to crush them. Yet… So close yet so far. Doale couldn't stand the frustration. He could feel burning hot tears of anger singe the sides of his eyes. "I DON'T KNOW!!" he shrieked, grabbing at his own hair and falling to his knees. He pounded at the floor once, twice, three times with his fist. _

"This guy's a psycho," Goten whispered to Gohan. Doale took a deep breath and gathered his composure. "We will take them with us," he said. "If I can't kill them, at least we can have them safely locked away."

*          *          *          

_Tap tap tap… Kaiosama's small feet tapped lightly on the ground as he ran, fast as he could. The amphibious, pudgy, blue skinned god was nearly out of breath, running through the halls of Kamisama's palace. The gravity seemed to tug mercilessly at his body, as if the dropping sweat off his forehead wasn't enough to satisfy it. __God I really need to work out more, he thought bitterly to himself. But he knew there were more important matters at hand for the moment. _

The underworld dimension has been breached by some powerful unknown force. If someone had that kind of ability, it scared Kaiosama to think of what else he or she could be capable of doing. Already, it had released two very powerful enemies from hell; Cell and Buu. Kaiosama desperately tried contact all the Z Soldiers on earth, but when he didn't hear from Goten or Gohan, he became very worried. Now, he ran through the endless corridors in search of Kamisama. He must be notified of this at once.

As Kaiosama ran out the front foyer of the building, he saw Kamisama at the edge of the courtyard, gazing down at the earth below with a grim look on his Namek face. "K…Kami…Sama…" the North Kaio God gasped for air, "T…There's some important… news to tell you…"

"I know all too well," Kami replied regretfully. "Our past enemies have been revived from the dead before. But this is different. There is a very powerful force that is has Cell and Buu under it's command. And that is our adversary."

"I can't even imagine such power, let alone know how to deal with it."

"Which is why I have summoned the Z Soldiers," Kami said. "We must come up with some kind of a plan. We can't have three exceptionally powerful enemies wandering around the planet at once."

"Have you heard anything from Gohan or Goten?" Kaiosama asked.

"No, and I don't expect to," Kami replied. "I saw what happened to them down on earth. Buu abducted them with their mother. Not only that, but I believe I have seen the face of the one who controls them; our newest enemy."

"Did you sense anything about him? Like power levels, fighting ability… anything?"

"The energy he gives off is rather familiar. Do you remember Son Goken, the child who got possessed by the Firebird fourteen years ago?" Kami asked. Kaiosama nodded in response. "His energy and the energy of this… Emperor Doale are quite similar. In fact, quite similar to suggest reincarnation but-"

"Reincarnation?!" Kaiosama nearly shrieked. "Are you suggesting that Emperor Doale is the reincarnated version of Son Goken?"

"Well it would explain his tendency to not want to kill Gohan and Chichi," Kami said, "but there's a piece to this puzzle that doesn't quite fit." He rubbed his chin and frowned in deep thought. "After Goken had crossed to the other side, the Higher Gods had given him a second chance at life. And I had made sure myself that Goken would have a good life. Why in the world would he show up as some corrupt Emperor bent on world domination? It just doesn't add up." 

"I'll scan the underworld for any clues," Kaiosama said. "Any records found there can serve as some kind of explanation to the link between Doale and Goken, assuming there is one. And if so, it might explain why Doale turned out to be evil." He closed his eyes and began to meditate, leaving Kami to ponder by himself.

"Sounds like a complicating mystery indeed," Kami said, nodding his head. "Perhaps we should take this matter to the higher Gods. They might be able to help us uncover this mystery. But that can wait for now because we need to focus on dealing with the immediate threat Doale, Cell, and Buu pose to the Earth-"

"Heavens…" Kaiosama said, his voice filled with fear and dread. "This can't be happening…" He opened his eyes, and awoke from his meditation. 

"What's wrong?" Kami asked, putting an assuring hand on Kaiosama's shoulder.

"The Firebird," Kaiosama replied, "the Firebird is missing from the Underworld."


	7. Chapter 5: A Link from the Past

In the middle of nowhere, in a desert wasteland, the Dark Empire of Emperor Doale had quickly established his palace, and the rest of his empire. Construction, thanks to the slaves, was rapid, having at least two buildings erected in one day. Slowly but surely, the physical presence of his empire would extend into the horizon, with the palace at the center of it all. 

These and various other thoughts ran through Doale's head as he stood in the north tower of his palace overlooking construction. He gazed at the legions of slaves before him. They came from various dimensions, different kingdoms and cultures scattered throughout each dimension, united by one thing; the Dark Empire. Doale had only murdered his parents a year ago and had since taken the throne from them. Already, he had expanded their empire by one dimension, conquering all of its inhabitants within a year. In every invasion, Doale had joined his forces and had murdered countless innocents by himself. It was so easy, and he loved seeing the helpless looks in their eyes before they met their fate. And the worthless slaves working under him were only helping him spread their suffering onto the people of this world. Not that they had a choice anyway.

It was so easy to murder innocent people and Doale had established that. He was even aware of the fact that he enjoyed it. _So why can't I kill those two Saiyans? He wondered to himself. Their deaths were important to him. The medic said they were powerful warriors and had the ability to crush Emperor Doale and liberate the slaves. __Powerful warriors, huh?__ Then they are somehow hypnotizing me to spare their lives! No, that didn't make sense. He didn't feel the inability to kill them came from an outside source. It was a part of Doale himself that didn't want them dead. "Perhaps if I were to see them in front of me," Doale spoke softly to himself, "maybe… maybe it would be easier for me to explain this to everyone… and myself."_

*          *          *

Videl covered her face with her milky hands and sobbed into them. Her daughter Pan, wrapped an arm around Videl's shoulders. She watched the tears seep through her mothers slender fingers. Pan pulled a long strand of her black hair out from the corners of her and began crying softly, the tears rolling in little beads down her face. 

"I wouldn't worry about Gohan," Bulma said softly, with a gentle tone of support. Her expression sagged showing deep sympathy. _Too bad that's the most I can do, she thought silently. __God if something happened to Trunks, Bra or Vegeta… She wouldn't care for sympathy; she'd want somebody to do something, to make it alright. And now all she was, was emotional support. She felt utterly useless. __I, the president of Capsule Corporation, am nothing more than emotional support in a real crisis._

"Cease those impure thoughts," Kaiosama said, making a telepathic connection with her mind. "The Z Soldiers are going to retrieve the Son family, but Videl needs you here for comfort her, so she doesn't worry herself to death. Don't underestimate that ability of yours, Bulma. You've the same for Chichi so many times in the past."

Kaiosama looked away from Bulma, towards the group of Z Soldiers sitting down hunched over, in deep discussion of what to do next. He started towards them. "This is a terrible crisis indeed," Kami said to them. 

"Have we heard anything from Emperor Doale?" Piccolo asked. "I'm sure he'd take them to lure us in."

"I haven't heard from him," Kami said. "But I don't want to have to wait for some kind of statement. Three lives are in danger right now. There is no time to waste. We must get them back as soon as possible."

"I don't get why the Emperor didn't just kill them on the spot," Vegeta said. "I mean, he could have, right?"

"We pray that never happens," Kami replied. "I was hoping to stay away from this topic, but I do feel it's safer for all of you to know. I'm sure most of you will remember Son Goken." Puzzled looks formed on the faces of the Z Soldiers. It's been over a decade since Goken died. They couldn't imagine what kind of a connection he'd have with this current crisis. "Kaiosama and I have been noticing some very… odd things going on." Kami paused, unsure of where to start. 

"Some things about Emperor Doale," Kaiosama took over for Kami. "For example I can give is his reluctance to kill Gohan, Goten and Chichi."

"Yeah but there could be a million logical reasons behind that," Yamcha said.

"There's more," Kaiosama said. "Kami and I have sensed the energy levels and frequency Emperor Doale's body emanates. Other than a few minor differences in mentality, the energy of Emperor Doale and Son Goken are strikingly similar. And finally, I'm not sure what this has to do with Doale or Goken, but we've noticed something terrible about the underworld."

"Maybe because it's a terrible place…" Vegeta said, as if Kaiosama's statement hadn't been obvious enough.

"The Firebird is missing from the underworld," Kaiosama said. "His sentence has been passed and it was to spend eternity in the Underworld. But when checked recently, the Firebird was nowhere to be found. We don't know how long he's been missing for. We were never informed."

"Maybe Doale got him out too," Juuhachi Gou suggested, "to use him as some kind of secret weapon against us. I mean, he did get Cell and Buu out too, right?"

"It is a possibility," Kami said. "We should be careful, in case Doale is keeping the Firebird hidden. I want to avoid any confrontations at this point in time, especially since they have our friends as prisoners. This is to be an undercover operation. We sneak into Doale's palace, free out friends, and get the hell out of there. Doale has already begun construction of his Empire on Earth. They may already have powerful technological weapons so I want everyone to stay on their guard."

*          *          *

The older boy's head hung limply, medium length hair falling over part of his face. His arms were held above his head by heavy rusted chains attached to the brick wall behind him. Just then a strange feeling engulfed Doale; something he would describe as grief, but at the same time, guilt. He moved on to the woman beside the older boy. Upon seeing her delicate face so peacefully asleep despite her situation, he felt like crying. 

"Who are you…?" Doale asked softly to her. "Why do you make me feel so despicable? You are nothing more than a regular human. I've killed people like you before."

"Stop this, Emperor Doale," a raspy voice said. The older boy was beginning to regain consciousness. "What do you plan to do with this planet?"

"Conquer it of course," Doale replied, trying to sound proud and powerful, but only succeeded in feeling like shallow scum. He tried to ignore his own feelings and continued, "Conquer it to add to the Dark Empire. And … and I'll kill as many people as it takes…"

"You can't mean what you're saying," Gohan said. "You sound ashamed of yourself."

"I am not ashamed of myself!" Doale said, getting excited. "I've single handedly taken this empire from my parents and have expanded it. And I haven't even reached the age of twenty one, where I officially receive the crown and all the power that comes with it! Imagine what I can do as king!"

"And what will you do until then?" Gohan asked. "Continue expanding your empire? Continue killing millions of innocent people?"

"Of course!" Doale declared. "And the only thing in my way right now is you and your Z Soldiers!"

"So you're going to begin by killing us."

"I …" Doale couldn't answer that. This mere prisoner boy, not much older than him, had outsmarted him with a question he couldn't answer.

"Tell me," Gohan said, "usually, do you take people prisoner? I mean, in all of your experience conquering worlds, you must've met with resistance. Do you usually keep those people prisoner or do you kill them?"

"I kill anyone who opposes me," Doale replied."

"You are well aware that the three of us, chained up here, are against you and everything you stand for," Gohan said, as if taunting him. "Why haven't you finished us off yet?" With the look of frustration Gohan saw on Doale's face, he knew he'd struck a nerve. _Because you are Goken.__ You don't have what it takes in to kill innocent people. And it took us, your family, to show you that. Forget Emperor Doale and his corrupt empire. You know better than that._

"I don't know how to answer that," Doale replied. "Ever since we arrived on this planet, I've felt some kind of … guilt. I've never felt anything like it before. And technically, this place isn't any different than all the other worlds I've conquered. But every second I spend on this planet, I'm the one giving the orders to prepare our empire for the task of enslaving it. But there's a feeling I get that despises what I'm doing. I don't know. It's hard to explain." _  _

"Mind if I ask you something?" Gohan asked.

"Shoot."

"Does the word Firebird mean anything to you?"

"It makes me sick," Doale replied. "Even before landing on this planet, some kind of deja vous of this … Firebird plagued my mind. How do you that the Firebird would mean anything to me?"

"Just a hunch," Gohan replied. 

"Do you know something I don't?" Doale asked, getting suspicious.

"I don't know anything. I can only suspect things."

Well… tell me what you suspect," Doale said. It was more of a plea than an order. "I'll settle for anything that could give me answers, or at least give me an idea of what's going on with me."

 "This is going to sound so weird to you. You sure you want to hear it?" Doale nodded in response. 

"I used to have a brother," Gohan said, after taking a deep breath. Recalling the most horrific events of his life that he tried so hard to put behind him was hard. "He was possessed by a creature called the Firebird. Goken and I had a few misunderstandings between us. So being as immature as he was, he sided with the Firebird to get back at me. But the Firebird was a lot more than Goken had bargained for. Using his body and his powers, it went around murdering millions of people, destroying cities, and even nearly killing us, his own family. By the time he realized what he'd done, it was too late. To kill the Firebird, we had to kill Goken as well. And that's what we did."

Gohan's lower lip trembled and he dug his teeth into it, trying to keep himself from losing composure. "That's … really terrible," Doale said. "How old was he?"

"Six."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't mean to sound cold, but Gohan, how does this have anything to do with me?"

"I believe… you are the reincarnated version of Goken," Gohan replied, relieved to change the subject. "Before he crossed over to the other side, I told him that no matter where he went, we'd always be with him because blood is thicker than water. There'd always be a part of us in him. And since we came across you in the forest, I noticed you resemble him quite a lot. Not just in looks, but in your aura as well. And your hesitation to harm us is what is making me sure that you are Goken. For all I know, my theory could be complete bullshit, but at least it explains something about you." 

Doale shrugged, "Well it's more than what I can come up with."

"Is it something you're willing to believe?"

"I guess. I mean it makes sense but… don't expect me to give up on my plans to conquer this planet just because I'm the reincarnated version of your brother."

"Do you even have what it takes to do it?" Gohan challenged him. "Sure you have the power. But are you that cold?"

"I've done it before, to countless other worlds. Even if what you're saying about me is true, that I really am this… Goken, this planet would only be sentimental to him. And he is dead now."

"With you around, he apparently isn't."

"I will not harm you. I don't know why, but I only know that I can't do it. Normally I would've executed you long ago with my own bare hands. Why are you taking advantage of that?"

"Because I'm saying seems to be getting through to you!" Gohan said. "You've showed me sympathy when I was telling you about Goken, and you're sitting here having a heart to heart conversation with a prisoner!"

The boy was right. _What the hell am I doing here speaking to some lowlife who's gonna spend the rest of his days serving me anyway? "B…because I…" Doale couldn't think of an answer. _

"Look," Gohan said, "I know you have the ability to care about people. And I think that is the true Doale showing through, not Goken. You've just been raised your entire life with corruption and selfishness; all the wrong things. It's a pity that it took Goken's sentimentality of this place to bring out the good side of Emperor Doale."

"Are you finished yet?" Doale asked. "I don't know what will happen to you, but one thing is for sure. This planet will be mine -"

**_KABOOM!!!_**

The far wall behind Doale exploded with such force, sending bricks flying every which way. The young Emperor lifted his cape and formed a force field, protecting himself, Gohan, and the unconscious Chichi and Goten from being struck by the debris. Dust clouded everything, blinding Doale, attacking his throat and lungs with it's choking thickness. 

Something assaulted him. He felt two powerful arms wrap around his shoulders, and squeeze with suffocating force, taking him to the hard, cold ground. 

"Don't worry Gohan," Doale heard a voice say. "We've neutralized the Emperor. Now we'll just get the three of you out of here."

"Thanks Kuririn," Gohan replied. _No! Doale thought. __They cannot reclaim their comrades! Doing so will mean the Saiyan force is at full power! Doale tried to resist, but the more he fought, the tighter the grip around him became. _

The dust slowly settled and he could finally see his captor. It was a giant, green alien with two small tentacles coming out from above each brow. _You sick green freak, there's no point in your worthless efforts. In time, I'll conquer your ugly planet too! That's what Doale would have said, but upon trying to speak, the only thing that came out of his mouth was a gasp of pain, "Ouch…"_

"You'll be having quite a time there trying to conquer a planet when a single Namek warrior could take you out," the green alien said, smirking.

_How did he know what I was thinking?! Doale wondered, with a look of shock developing on his face._

"Because I have telepathical powers," the green alien replied. 

_Holy shit, you're creepy_

"I try_."_

"Uncle Piccolo, don't hurt him!" Gohan cried.

"And why shouldn't I?" Piccolo asked. 

"Because -" 

"Release the Emperor or I kill this boy!" a familiar voice said. All the Z Soldiers who were present, Vegeta, Gohan, Kuririn and Piccolo turned and saw a sight they hoped never to see again. There, standing with one arm wrapped around an unconscious Goten, was Cell, clad with the all too familiar green spotted armor and trademark man eating tail. The tail's pointed end was aimed at Goten's neck, ready to swallow him at the first sign of resistance. "Do you think I'm kidding?" Cell asked, the end of the tail opening up to show a dark abyss. 

Doale felt the grip around him release suddenly, then he felt the cold hard floor again. "Ouch dammit!" he cried in a new source of pain.

"Now leave this place," Cell ordered. "And you can forget about taking this boy with you."

Doale saw Piccolo's nostrils flare up in fury, his hand clenching into a fist so hard, it drew out purple blood. Gohan put an arm on Piccolo's shoulder. "Don't worry Uncle Piccolo, nothing will happen to Goten," Gohan said, making eye contact with Doale. Doale couldn't look back at Gohan, and only stared and the ground in shame. Gohan knew just as well as he did, he didn't have what it took to bring harm to Goken's family.

Piccolo looked at Gohan as if he had gone crazy or something, but the look of certainty in Gohan's eyes couldn't be ignored and he finally gave in. "Everyone, move out," Piccolo said. 

With great hesitance, the Z Soldiers, with an unconscious Chichi in Gohan's arms, flew out of the prison chambers, leaving Goten behind.

"What did Gohan mean by 'Goten will be alright'," Cell asked. "What are you planning?"

"Do not question me or any of the decisions I make," Doale said, angrily at Cell. "Don't forget, I have the power to return you to your hell." Doale walked past him and walked out of the room, cape flowing behind him. "Oh yes, and Cell. Chain the boy up. He could be of use to us in the upcoming battle with the Z Soldiers."


	8. Chapter 6: Doale's Downfall

"Emperor Doale is who?!" Piccolo nearly screamed, much unlike the Namek's usual character. Gohan looked around at the faces of all the others who equally shared Piccolo's expression. Gohan took a deep breath and spelled it out again slowly. 

"Doale is the reincarnation of Goken," he said. 

"How can you be so sure?" Kaiosama asked. "Where is the proof to this statement?"

"Isn't the similarity in their energies proof enough?" Gohan retorted. "Kaiosama, you're a spirit of the afterlife. You of all people should know that!"

"Many souls have similar energies," Kaiosama said, "just as many people have similar personalities. That doesn't mean they're the same person."

"Then how do you explain his protective tendency for us? Why can't you see that's Goken right there?"

"Goken was reincarnated," Kaiosama reminded Gohan. "He is alive now living somewhere, shelled in a different body. I will not recognize him until his soul dies and comes into the spirit world. That's why I'll never know for sure if Doale really is Goken. Don't jump to conclusions, Gohan."

As if to emphasize Kaiosama's point, the wind picked up, typical atmospheric activity especially from the height Kami's Palace was at. Gohan wandered over to the edge and looked down at the world. Kaiosama was right. There was no solid proof that Doale is actually Goken. But then how could his awkward behavior towards them suggest otherwise? Was that all Gohan had to go by to back up his gut feeling? Or was his gut feeling wrong? There were too many questions to ask, and not enough answers. The safety of the Earth was what got priority, he shouldn't be spending his time worrying about anything secondary. Gohan felt a soft cool hand rest upon his shoulder. He turned to look beside him, and standing there with a loving smile on her round face, was Chichi. 

"Don't believe for a second that what Kaiosama's saying is true," she said. "Goken is _your brother. You are blood related. Your mind may not be able to recognize him but your heart will." She put her other hand on his other shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. "I believe you, Gohan," she said softly. "And I believe you can do it. Get him to leave the corrupt lifestyle of Emperor Doale forever, and bring Goten __and Goken back to us."_

***

_Thump, thump. Trunks felt his heavy booted feet contact the window sill, forming a perfect footrest as he leaned back in a padded leather swivel chair. Lavender eyes gazed out the large windows framing one side of his office of Capsule Corporations. Such a peaceful exterior contradicted the turmoil raging in his mind. His best friend, Goten, was in danger. Trunks knew the Z Soldiers were thinking of something to get Goten back, and he wanted to join them. But he knew he couldn't. The responsibility of the functioning of his mothers company rested upon his shoulders. __Image that, he thought bitterly, __a demi Saiyan has met a match. A daytime job… He sighed outwardly in frustration and blew a lock of purple hair away from his eyes. "Goten, hang in there buddy," he said, never taking his gaze off the sky. "You're gonna make it through this, I know you can…" But something in that didn't sound right. Saying that made him feel so helpless. And the fact that he was stranded on the sidelines didn't feel right either. _

The door opened behind him. "Mr. Briefs, here are the market's stock reports from the last ten months as you've requested," a gentle feminine voice said. 

"Thank you Sheila," he said flatly. The door closed behind him. Trunks spun around to have a look at the paperwork when his heart threatened to stop beating. The paper stack was a good thirty centimeters high. _Analyze Capsule Corporation's monthly performance, compare it to last years progress and submit the information to Mother. The information has to be on the publisher's desk in two days so he can contact his people and start manufacturing the yearly reports. What was that Mother said about the publishing price?! Trunks ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He took his gaze back outside the window to the sky, which sported the faint glow of stars. Then he made up his mind. _

He removed the stack of papers from the desktop and pushed a button on the multi-lined telephone. 

"Hello, this is the Son residence," a woman's voice rang over from the other end of the polished wooden receiver.

"Videl, this is Trunks," he said. "There's something I gotta ask you guys about."

"I would love to chat!!" she beamed, "…but I'm in the middle of preparing dinner. Would it be alright if you spoke with Gohan?"

"Yes," he replied, "could you please get him for me?"

"Sure thing," she said. Then a moment of faint noises reached the phone.

"Hey Trunks, whatcha up to?" Gohan asked cheerfully. "Aren't you supposed to be stuck behind your desk doing paper work instead of talking to your friends?"

"Yeah, I know," Trunks said, rubbing his eyes. "But this desk job is so boring it's killing me. But listen, Gohan there's something I can't stop thinking about. What's the situation with Goten?"

"Oh, Goten," came the short reply. "It's a basic plan really. We're resting for now, but are going back tomorrow to retrieve him."

"That's… it?" Trunks asked. 

"Yup."

"But…"

"But what?"

"It sounds a little too simple to me. I mean… you're just gonna leave Goten there?"

"He won't be hurt," Gohan said.

"How do you know?" Trunks asked. "We don't know a whole lot about this new enemy and-"

"Let's just say I have connections on the other side," Gohan said cutting him off. "Trust me on this one, Trunks."

_Why in the world would Gohan have connections on the enemy's side? "Alright," Trunks said with great hesitation. "But there's another thing I'd like to ask of you."_

"What is it?"

"I…" Trunks stammered. He knew it was irresponsible for him to leave his duties but the life of his best friend was on the line. "I want to go with you guys when you get Goten back."

"I don't know if your mother would approve of that, seeing as how we have enough power to get Goten back. Besides, you have a job to do."

"I just feel like it's something I have to do," Trunks said, "it's a best friend thing, you know. Once I get my hands on that Emperor Doale I'll make sure he pays-"

"No harm of any sort will come to Doale," Gohan said firmly. "I have a feeling he's thinking seriously about joining us."

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous! Why are you so pro Emperor Doale?"

_Because I think he's Goken, because he's shown me a good side, because he's saved my life on numerous occasions - too many reasons. "I had a good talk with him," Gohan replied._

"That's it?!" Trunks exclaimed. "You just… talked?! Okay, let's put our trust in some guy that's trying to take over this world."

"Look I understand your confusion, but seriously Trunks, this involves something that happened a long time ago when you were just a baby. I don't know if you'll remember but I sure as hell do. And I need you to trust me. Do you want to come save Goten with us or not?"

"Alright Gohan, I believe you. I just… I find your reasons a little too simple. Just something I'm not used to I guess."

"Don't worry. Meet us tomorrow morning at Kami's Palace. I'll explain everything to you then."

"Alright, I'll be there first thing in the morning. See you then."

And they hung up the phone.

***

Emperor Doale couldn't shake the iron grip the General had on his upper arm. Doale slammed his free shoulder against the General's torso time after time but the young Emperor was no match for his opponent's size. 

"Release me at once," Doale ordered, "or I will have you _executed!!" _

"Under normal circumstances, I would," the General said, "but these are the orders of Emperor Buu and Cell."

"What?! Since when did they take my title and why in the world are you following _their orders?!!" Doale shouted mercilessly into the General's face; and he was the only person who dared to do so. _

"They have taken the T3 transporter that sends them back to hell," the General explained. "Now we have nothing to keep them under our control and have turned the tables around."

"How in the world…?"

"They've murdered our council. It was practically effortless on Cell and Buu's part to do so. Practically one snap of their fingers and the council was dead."

"Literally?!" Doale gasped. 

"No! There were a few punches and kicks and – it may as well have been a snap – ah nevermind!!" the General shook his head in frustration. "The council is dead and they now have control over the Dark Empire. Cell suspected you might be a traitor because earlier, Gohan said something about you 'not hurting Goten', implying you're somewhat against what we're trying to do. Our entire goal is to destroy the Z Soldiers and Goten is one of them! That's why Cell ordered for your imprisonment."

"General," Doale said, "remember when my father appointed you to be my mentor?" The young Emperor hoped the General still had some sentimentality he could use to his advantage. "My whole life, you've been training me in the ways of the battlefield and look what I've become! You've been like a second father and a best friend to me, and this is what you do to me now? Where's the sense in all this?" Doale's brows furrowed, his suddenly large and watery eyes looking up and the General with feigned emotion. _Come on show me some sign of guilt you fool so I can smash your sorry face in! _

The General frowned but his intentions remained unwavering. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," he said regretfully, "but doing so would mean my death at the hands of Emperor Cell."

_Ah screw the puppy dog eyes! If this guy doesn't release me … oooh, he's REALLY gonna get it! "Not doing so would guarantee death at my hands!" Doale threatened. "Do you know what it's like for me to take your life, you worthless slave? I will dig your heart from your measly chest and feast on it in front of you!! Are you listening to what I'm saying, you fucking dumb oaf??!! I WILL KILL YOU!!!"_

"It would be more merciful to die by your hands than at theirs," the General replied coldly. The sound of a large metal door opening could be heard behind Doale, and the next thing he felt was his body sailing through the air like a rag doll, and then hit the stone of the cell floor. Doale got up and ran quickly to the iron door but it slammed in his face, pushing him backwards and onto the floor again. "Just be thankful Emperor Cell did not order for your execution." __

***

Goten opened his heavy eyelids, seeing nothing but darkness. He could hardly tell if his eyes were opened or closed. What made him wake up? Someone was yelling from the cell opposite from his. _I'm in a prison. He could tell from the smell of the moist air and fungus growing on the stone floor, but it was the large clang of the metal door that confirmed it._

Goten moved his arms, pushing himself to an upright position. It seemed like an easy task, but in the dark, it was a whole different story. It was hard to tell which way was up. 

"I will kill you!"

The same voice that woke him up yelled again. _Who in their right mind would dare say that to the captain of the guards and not get killed on the spot? Goten could hear heavy booted footsteps make their way outside the prison halls. Mustering up enough courage, he crawled slowly, fumbling in the dark, towards the door. If he remembered right, there was some kind of a latch at the bottom for the guards to slip meals to the prisoners. Goten could tell he reached his destination when his nose painfully came into contact with the door's iron frame. His fingers searched the cold, damp surface for something to hold onto, so he could slide the latch open – and at last, he found it. Digging his nails into a small indent, he pulled the latch open as the outside light immediately assaulted his vision, temporarily blinding him. _

Goten blinked once, twice, three times even for his vision to adjust. He could see the cell opposite from his with the latch on the door open too. He cleared his throat silently and decided to try and make friends with the new prisoner. If he succeeded, at least he could have some companion ship in this time of loneliness. "Um… hello?" Goten whispered quietly. He waited for a few seconds, and when there was no response, he tried again. "Is anybody there?"

"What the hell do you want?" came an aggressive reply. 

"I couldn't help but notice you coming in," he said, sounding as friendly as possible. 

"I was yelling, for god sake," said the voice again. 

"Is everything alright?"

"It's anything but alright."

"Maybe talking about it would help," Goten suggested. "It always works for me. What's your name?"

There was a brief pause. "It's Doale. Emperor Doale. But I guess … I guess I'm not really an Emperor anymore. Can you believe it? My own people betrayed me."

Goten nearly fell over backwards. _That's Emperor Doale? He's the guy that threw me in here! He's our enemy! But why is he imprisoned?_

"That blasted medic," Doale continued, spilling his frustrations, "went on and told me how they resurrected Majin Buu and Cell from the dead without my permission. Now it's cause of those two demons that I've lost my empire. I just don't understand where I went wrong!"

"Evil never pays," Goten replied simply. "Someone should have told you that a long time ago."

"What do you know?" Doale retorted. "Look at how majestic the Dark Empire has grown! People work together in unity under one ruler. The power that I wield can crush entire dimensions. If you don't call that a form of payment, then nothing is."

"Your people are unhappy," Goten said. "Your kingdom is built on the backs of slaves. They fear your men and your men fear you. And you! All you can think about is how to expand your empire; how you can get more money, power and luxury. Tell me, are you ever satisfied with what you have? Or do you live a torturous life wanting more and more?"

At first, there was no response, only a moment of silence. And then, a frustrated sigh. "All you bloody Saiyans are the same. First it's Gohan telling me I'm not really evil and shutting me up with all that useless bullshit. Now it's you shutting me up with your "evil doesn't pay" speech. Now I know why you guys are such formidable matches to anyone trying to claim this planet – you just brainwash them with your morale lectures."

"Well you did lose your power as Emperor. And it wasn't our fault either."

"Oh shut up."

The door to the prison hall burst opened. Goten could feel someone talking to him in the back of his mind. _Don't worry Goten, we're here for you. It was Piccolo. Goten could hardly contain his excitement, but with the Doale sitting in the cell just across from him, he decided it'd be better if the just kept quiet. _

_Don't worry, Uncle Piccolo, Goten replied, __I'm fine. I'm right here in the last cell at the back of the hall._

***

Gohan crept nervously behind Piccolo. His heart jumped into his chest with every step. Somewhere in here was Goten, and they could get him out safely. Piccolo was making a mental connection with him. _Bring back Goten and Goken back to us. His mother's words rang in his head, and Gohan mentally nodded to himself. He was going to do just that. _

"Goten!" Piccolo cried suddenly. Gohan could hear the creaking of a metal door being opened. The smell of burnt metal lingered in the air. And Gohan heard a reply.

"Uncle Piccolo." Gohan ran over to his brother, who was propped up by Piccolo, struggling to walk. His face was dirty, his hair was a disheveled mop. But that couldn't hide the relief beaming through his eyes. 

"Goten are you okay?" Gohan asked, wiping away the dirt from his brother's face with his hands. 

"Yeah Gohan," he replied, "but could you stop that please? It hurts."

Gohan hugged him saying, "Thank god you're okay. We were all so worried about you."

"There's someone here I think you might want to talk to," Goten said. "Emperor Doale is in that cell right there." He pointed to a nearby cell. "I think he might want to help us."

"Oh god, what am I doing?" Emperor Doale whispered to himself, hidden behind his cell door. "I swear this is going to be the end of me."


	9. Interlude: Hidden Truth

The news couldn't have come at a worse time. Cell had his rear firmly planted on a red vinyl cushioned throne, with his feet propped up on a matching footrest. He looked around the throne room, taking in his surroundings. The room was decorated with elegant furniture carved from the finest gold, ivory, and other precious materials from all over the universe. Such beauty and elegance contrasted to cold gray stone the castle's walls and floor was made from. 

Cell reached underneath his wing cover, the ones that were solid as brick, protecting his insect like wings. His purple nailed fingers wrapped around the small device, the T3 transporter that had the power to send him back to the netherworld. It was important that none of the castle workers ever got hold of it. If they did, it meant they'd have the power to send him back, and Doale would be back in power. That could never happen. 

"Doale has escaped from the prison," the prison guard said. The reflections in his eyes shook, and his mouth was as tight as a seal, trying to keep the fear from bursting out. He knew his failure to keep Doale from escaping could ultimately mean his death.

"Do you know why I decided to keep Doale alive?" Cell asked with a eerily calm voice. The prison guard shook his head nervously. "Because he is important. We could use him in our plan to take this world and destroy the Z Soldiers. Now let me ask you something else. Why do you think I put you in charge of Doale?"

"B… because you believed I was the best soldier for this task," the guard replied. 

"Yes," Cell said, "And did you not assure me you were the best person for it?"

"I'm sorry, your highness."

"You didn't live up to your own words. If you can't go by your own words, I doubt you'll be able to follow mine. And that makes you useless to me."

And in a split second, the guard was incinerated in a large fireball. He didn't even have enough time to scream.

As the ashes and dust settled, Cell leaned over to a member of the high council, giving him an intimidating stare straight in the eyes. "I want you to summon the generals," he ordered. "Doale must be found, whatever the cost. If we are to destroy the Z Soldiers, he must be on our side! Now go!"

With that, the council member scampered out of the room like a frightened dog, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Summon the generals! They are needed at once!"

Cell gripped the armrests of the throne as if he wanted to snap them. _I can't believe they've allowed Doale to escape! If we don't get him back… _

"You worry too much," a calm voice said to him. Buu stood leaning on one side of the doorway to the room, with his arms folded and a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. 

"What are you so relaxed about?" Cell asked. "Do you have any idea the powers Doale has? The stupid Emperor doesn't even realize what lies inside him! We do! And if could take advantage of those powers before he even realizes them…"

"Doale will come back to us," Buu assured. "Once we reveal who Doale really is, the Z Soldiers won't want him anymore. And he won't have a choice but to side with us."


	10. Chapter 7: Face of the Truth

Doale had never imagined helping out those who were opposed to him. But then again, he'd never considered an ally ripping his inherited empire away from him either. But was getting his empire back more important? Doale toiled with the question in his mind as he sat quietly in a small room, on a soft, warm bed. The Saiyan warriors had taken him to the Son residence. Apparently, this was the home of the Legendary Son Goku, saviour of the earth. Doale had researched this particular character in Earth's history prior to his arrival. Fortunately for Doale, he was gone without an explanation from anyone, not even his family. 

Gohan had his mother leave the house temporarily to stay with the Briefs family, while he kept an eye on Doale. Maybe he thought Doale would feel more comfortable talking to one person alone. _Do they think I'm some kind of fearful weakling? _he scoffed mentally. Giving it a second thought, he realized how right they were. The Emporer of a magnificent empire, now reduced to the wimpering teenager he was, forced to give up his own plans for world domination to side with the lowlifes opposed to him. _I don't even have a shred of dignity left in me._

Doale was thankful to hear the soft knocking on the room door, releasing him from his own self punishment. "Come in," he said, trying to sound as angry as possible, but it only came out sounding like a plea. _An accurate way to describe what I'm feeling._ Gohan's broad frame stepped into view. 

"How you feeling?" he asked, with a friendly smile on his face. "I've been better," Doale said. "Don't worry about it. We'll get Cell and Buu. The Z Soldiers have defeated them once. We can do it again. And with your help, things will be that much easier for all of us. " Doale shrugged in response. "Does this room look familiar to you?" Gohan asked. 

Doale looked around for a minute, finally declaring his answer flatly, "No." 

"This was Goken's room before he died. This was where the Firebird first possessed him, and where the whole war began." 

"Do you honestly think I'm Goken?" Doale asked. 

"This isn't the first time you're telling me about him. It's been fourteen years since his death, and I don't think you talk about him that often... do you?" 

"No, you're right. We don't talk about him anymore around here. It helps to get over the grief I think. But you're so much like him, it's like he never died." 

"Well, except for the fact I'm a ruthless evil Emporer bent on world domination." 

"Other than that minor detail, yes," Gohan joked.  


Both warriors jumped suddenly, when the window of the room shattered unexpectedly. They lifted their arms to shield their faces from the flying shards, hearing a maniacal laughter coming from outside. A pair of powerful arms gripped Doale, one around his neck and the other around his waist. 

"If you don't release me now, I'll have your head!" Gohan could hear Doale threatening, right before something solid smashed into his throat, temporarily paralyzing him. He didn't even have time to see who it was. Gohan collapsed to the ground gripping his throat, and gasing desperately for air. 

"Pathetic demi-saiyan," Cell's voice said. What are they doing here? Gohan was panicked. They discovered his house. The Son residence was nolonger safe. "We've found you, thanks to the help of Doale's technology and our General here." Cell motioned to a heavily built man who immobilized Doale. 

"Won't be long before this pathetic excuse for a General backstabs you too," Doale spat. WHAM!! A fierce fist across Doale's face from Cell silenced the young Emporer, who emerged with a scrape on his cheek and a bleeding lip. Upon impact, the General winced. Gohan couldn't tell if the reaction was from sympathy, or from emotional pain. Doale had mentioned the General had raised him since young to one day become a great Emporer, because the King was too busy running the Empire to notice his son. Gohan assumed it was more of the latter though.

He dashed at Cell, throwing punches at his face, chest and abdomen. Gohan never expected Cell to react since when they fought so long ago, the futuristic bug was unusually powerful. But not this time around. He wouldn't say Cell fell easily, but he was definitely showing more weakness than the last time they'd met, as he fell on his knees, gazing pathetically at Gohan with an expression of utter shock. Perhaps he didn't grow more powerful in the underworld. Gohan smiled at the thought. 

Doale threw his head back, feeling the General's nose shatter like glass, only not as hard, as it came into contact with the back of his head. He felt a warm liquid spread down his neck. _The imbecile dares to bleed on me!_ Doale kicked his legs under his body, using the momentum to flip his body forward, planting his feet onto the General's chest, and kicking himself firmly away from the General while throwing him backwards. Doale's body, while travelling on sheer momentum flipped in midair and landed safely shortly thereafter.

The General, recovering from his backwards stumble, held his nose tightly with one hand and folding his free arm to the side of his body, rushed at Doale with enough momentum to send random sheets of paper flying about in the room. Doale threw his arms up in front of his face to defend against the inevitable world of pain he was about to be engulfed in. The impact didn't register at first. He just saw the world go by in a blur and a solid wall of fire come into contact with his face. Doale collapsed onto the ground, one arm gripping his own body, the other collecting the blood from his bleeding nose and cut lips. 

Again, he could see the General preparing for another charge. Doale gathered all the strength in his body and threw himself out of harms way. Instead of feeling his body being crushed between that of the General and the wall, he tasted plaster and wallpaper, as the General plunged through the wall, creating a solid hole leading to another room.

Cell sidestepped the powerful punch Gohan threw, grabbed his arm, and flung him towards the window. Doale was only able to catch a glimpse of the spotted green bug throw the Saiyan boy's body. He caught more of Gohan's scream, and the sound of shattering glass.

***

_"Firebird don't you even think about doing this!" Goken mind screamed from somewhere in the depths of his consciousness. _

"Foolish child!" the Firebird scolded, as the grip around Gohan's neck tightened. "This boy is nothing but trouble to us. How are we to gain power when we have people like this standing in our way?"

"He's my brother!" Goken retorted. But the Firebird would hear none of that. Against Goken's wishes while possessing the boy's body, the Firebird flung Gohan at the second story window, hearing and feeling the glass give way easily to the force of Gohan's airborne body. Seconds later, a dull thud as Gohan's body hit the ground two stories below. 

***

_That window…_ The thought forced it's way into Doale's head. "Gohan…" The realization hit hard, like an airplane to a seagull. He didn't know why it affected him so. After all, it was just some Saiyan boy who tried to come between him and his plans for world domination but … Doale sensed something else in Gohan. He didn't know if his theory of Goken's reincarnation was correct, but the logical aspect of his mind wasn't able to comprehend anything of the sort at the moment. All he knew was a blinding rage and directed itself at Cell. The look of the bug disgusted Doale. There was a reason he deserved Hell and Doale felt sorry that it was his own people that freed this creature that killed … and then, there was that blinding rage again…"You killed GOHAN!!"

Doale felt the blood in his body boil - literally. His looked to his hands, seeing them spontaneously combust into burning flames. He could feel the heat in his eyes turning them a dark, blood red. 

Gohan tensed his body and squeezed his eyes shut. A shard of glass was about to pierce through his face and the only thing he could do was accept it. After a few moments of feeling absolute … nothing, he opened his eyes to find the shard of glass a few centimeters from his face. It rested without motion on the grass of the lawn, and Gohan felt his body hovering just over it. He was able to register his free fall quickly enough to prevent his body from coming into contact with the solid ground. _If I had been any closer…_ He refused to think of the chances, although he had a rough idea of what would have happened if fate had been twisted out of his favor. 

He took a moment to gather his nerves when soon enough, a bloodcurdling scream came from the room upstairs. Gohan looked through the now shattered window and saw Cell, with a look of complete terror on his face. But it wasn't that which caught Gohan's attention. Cell was completely in flames, from head to toe. Even his insect-like wings were burning like paper. Cell fell from the window, just as Gohan did moments before, and landed beside him. Cell reached to him for help with a burning arm, but Gohan shot him a cold look of condemnation, and returned his gaze to the second storey window. 

What he saw sent cold chills down his spine. The shape was humanoid, except just like Cell's dying body, it was covered in flames. Flames didn't obstruct the head and Gohan could see the face of this mysterious figure clearly, and it didn't even take a second to recognize it. Gohan could never forget it, no matter how he tried so many times in the past. Staring straight into his eyes wasn't the face of Emperor Doale, not even Goken. It was the face of the creature that possessed Goken fourteen years ago, the face of a creature he thought he and the other Z Soldiers had destroyed and left far, far behind in their deepest darkest memories. Staring back at Gohan, complete with it's unquenchable lust of power, was the face of the Firebird.


	11. Chapter 8: Doale and the Firebird

Watching from afar, within the dark walls of Doale's former castle, Buu watched the battle between Cell, Doale, the General and Gohan unfold. The General had proved to be useless after all. His fighting skills were exceptional and he had a major advantage over his opponents as far as size was concerned. Yet, he somehow managed to lose to Doale.  
  
Buu slammed his fist into the stone walls in frustration, feeling them crack beneath his pink knuckles. The young Emperor was capable of holding his own against someone twice his size. He would be a valuable ally in their cause, but Cell had to have him imprisoned. It was no wonder he now sided with the Z Soldiers. Buu punched the wall again, harder this time making a clean hold right through the stone. Damn that Cell, he cursed under his breath. At least he was dead now, just another useless bug that needed to be crushed.  
  
Buu's thoughts drifted from the death of Cell, to his murderer. Buu had been waiting a long time to see it himself, and finally at that moment, triggered by what Cell did to Gohan, the true power of Emperor Doale came through and incinirated Cell. And it was that power Buu craved for - the power of the Firebird. All this time, the Z Soldiers believed he was the reincarnation of Goken. Buu mocked their stupidity. Son Goken, or at least, what he'd heard of the boy from the Firebird, had unlimited power at his disposal. But he was emotionally weak and could never have accomplished what Emperor Doale had. Murdering one's own parents, taking their fortune and ruthlessly slaughtering millions of innocent people was something only someone with an evil heart could do, someone who deserved a place in hell. And who better a candidate to be reincarnated into someone like that than the Firebird?  
  
* * *  
  
Rain assaulted the ground, turning soil into mud. Gohan and Doale stood facing each other, each of them with soaked hair and clothes recently singed from an apparent fire. The windswept grass licked at their feet, while the remains of the Son residence stood behind them. The upper levels were charred black but the lower level seemed untouched by the previous fire. Small tongues of flame flickered every so often, but the rain slowly drowned them out.  
  
"You were wrong," Doale said weakly. "I'm not your re-incarnated brother. I'm ... something else."  
  
Gohan was too stunned to say anything logical. All along, he'd been so sure Doale was Goken. But that proved to be wrong in the end. He wasn't Goken ... rather, he was - "You're the Firebird." Gohan's voice wasn't filled so much with disappointment than hatred. He looked Doale straight in the eye, opening his mouth to say another hateful statement. It looked as if he was about to scream but then, no sound came out and his face crumpled. Salty tears squeezed out the corners of his eyes and mixed with the water droplets, running down his face in rivulets. "You're the goddamned Firebird... get the hell away from me and my family."  
  
The words pierced Doale through and through, unable to understand where all this anger came from. Gohan's statements hurt, and he was confused as to why he was saying this. Why do they hurt? Doale never cared much for the Son family anyway. Oh shut up! His own consciousness scolded him. You know very well you care about Chichi and the others. Since you came here, you've been unable to harm them. So why would he be the Firebird? Doale's own instinct and logic were at war with each other, and he couldn't come up with an answer for Gohan, who now stood a few feet away, looking as if he was going to murder him.  
  
He was saved by the interruption of a sudden flash of light, and the familiar forms of Chichi and Piccolo appeared on both sides of Gohan. They immediately shielded themselves from the pouring rain, holding Gohan by the arms at the same time.  
  
"It's pouring out here," Chichi said, her composure strangely calm. "We can talk about this somewhere else."  
  
"Mom, you have no idea what's going on," Gohan said, never removing his cold gaze from Doale's direction.  
  
Chichi held Gohan's chin and turned his face to face her's. "I know exactly what's going on," she said surely. "We saw it all from Kamisama's palace. And I'm telling you now to come with us - both of you."  
  
She turned to face Doale. He looked back at her, not with defiance, but a certain fear; the fear of being rejected. Chichi approached Doale, wrapped her soft arms around his shoulders and embraced him in a hug, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Goken or not, you are my son." She saw the puzzled look form on Doale's face. Chichi smiled and said, "back at your palace, you could've easily killed us. Yet, you didn't. Goten told me about your meeting in the forest, and how you saved his life from your own forces. He also told me how you jumped in front of Gohan when Buu was about to shoot him with a ki blast. If those aren't acts of love, I don't know what is."  
  
"Do you have any idea who he is, Mom?!" Gohan said, raising his voice. "He's the Firebird!!"  
  
"He is Emperor Doale!" Chichi shouted back defiantly. "The Firebird died fourteen years ago."  
  
"But..." Gohan began to protest.  
  
But Chichi would hear none of it. "Weren't you the one who told me Goken got a second chance at life?" she asked, challenging Gohan. "To start over from scratch with a new life and a new identity? That's exactly what the Firebird has done too. His new life as Emperor Doale is a fresh start and right now, he is fighting alongside us and is turning his life around for the sake of good! Gohan, YOU were the one who helped to bring out his good side and now you're rejecting him based on his past life?"  
  
"I..."  
  
She still refused to let him continue. "Doale and the Firebird may share the same soul, but they are two completely seperate identities. You cannot judge a person on the basis of another. That's exactly what you're doing."  
  
Doale gently removed Chichi's hands from his shoulders. "I'm sorry, but Gohan's right. I may be a completely different person than the Firebird was, but I can't escape the responsibility of what I did behind a new face. It's useless to be fighting alongside the Z Soldiers. Now that they know the truth about me, they'd never accept me. I'd be fighting a useless cause for acceptance among the others. It would be easier to go back to my empire. Now that Cell is dead and that I've discovered this new power, I can easily overthrow Buu."  
  
"Doale, no!" Chichi protested. "You know now that is the path of darkness. Why would you want to return to that after you've experienced better?!"  
  
"Have I?" he asked, looking at Gohan. Chichi didn't have enough time to come up with an answer when Doale took off with a violent burst of energy. A moment later, he was a mere speck in the sky, heading for the desert to the east, to the palace of the Dark Empire. 


	12. Chapter 9: A New Old Identity

The dark familiar walls of his palace made Doale aware of his power, a power that got taken away from him. All that was about to change now, he was about to get it back. Upon his return to the palace, the guards, who now technically worked for Cell and Buu, put up no resistance as they feared the Emperor as well.  
  
Doale could feel the new, but yet ancient power course through his veins. So this was the power of the Firebird, locked within him his whole life. Was it what drove him to kill his parents? To take their empire from them? What goes around may come around, but Doale was going to break that cycle using this power. He was going to kill Buu. He wanted to watch the pink rubbery demon writhe on the floor in sheer agony before he finished him off. There was no better way to do that than using fire, a power completely under his control.  
  
The young Emperors thoughts drifted back to what happened mere minutes ago. The Firebird power was incredible! It would've proved to be a major asset in fighting Buu. Yet, Gohan had condemned it. Why would Gohan build Doale's confidence up, convincing him he was really a good person and to fight for the right side, only to reject him again because of his past life? What could the Firebird have done to get such an extreme reaction out of someone? Doale could only guess...  
  
***  
  
Gohan sat at a cliff's edge near the Briefs residence, where he and Chichi now stayed temporarily. He was hunched over, legs curled up into his chest as he watched the billions of stars scattered throughout the heavens like diamond dust.  
  
"All this time..." Gohan was at a loss of words. He ran his hands through his black hair in frustration, trying to justify what he did to Doale. "I was so sure he was Goken. I put my confidence in Doale, hoping his good side would eventually show."  
  
"And it did," Videl said, trying to sound supportive. "He was willing to fight Buu with us."  
  
"You don't get it," Gohan said, "I thought he was capable of being good because I thought he was Goken. But if he's really the Firebird, that means the good side he revealed was really from Doale himself. And that means what I did to him back there was unfair."  
  
"You were shocked, Gohan," Videl replied, hugging her husband.  
  
He was relieved to feel Videl's soft arms wrap around his shoulders. He'd been so caught up with Doale, Buu and Cell lately he had forgotten about his family. Thankfully, Videl understood the intensity of what had happed so many years ago, about the mystery brother of her Gohan's. "Has Doale returned to opposing us? Is it because of me?"  
  
"We pray he hasn't," Kamisama said, joining Gohan at his side. "This explains why the Firebird was missing from the underworld. He was really Doale all along. And now that he's discovered the truth about his past life and his own powers, he could prove to be a formidable enemy."  
  
"Damnit!" Gohan kicked the ground. "Those powers aren't even rightfully his! The Firebird inherited those powers from when he posessed Goken! Everytime I think about that despicable creature - and now Doale is taking advantage of those powers!"  
  
"We need to attack his Empire," Kamisama said.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Gohan said. "There's a handful of us and the guy is an Emperor with his own army! We'll never have the power to take them all on."  
  
"Obviously, you would've realized we have no problems getting through their security from when we rescued Goten," Kamisama said. "We only have to deal with Buu and perhaps Doale."  
  
"That's two very powerful people you're talking about."  
  
"And I know one very powerful person who could help us," Kamisama said, gazing upwards into the night sky. Gohan and Videl's gazes followed his. At first, neither of them saw anything, but then they could make out a faint streak making it's way across the stars. It glowed faintly, but grew with intensity and detail as it came closer.  
  
It was a giant, golden dragon gliding like a snake through the heavens. Riding on it's head was a man with long, spikey, golden hair. The air surrounding the apparition sizzled with electricity. As it approached, they could see the mans expression - a childish smile waving his hand vigorously in the air.  
  
Gohan swore he would've exploded with excitement if he hadn't screamed out loud, "DAD!!"  
  
***  
  
Buu sized up the furious Emperor Doale who now stood before him, body ablaze like a walking tongue of fire. His eyes were blood red. Even the hair on his head spiked up, charged with power. But Buu was not intimidated. "Come out of that shell," he said. "You have broken the laws of the underworld, Doale. You've been made aware of your past life. Stop pretending to be this pathetic Emperor. You are the Firebird."  
  
"I will destroy you," Doale implied, suddenly rushing forward to strike Buu. But Buu was quick too and knocked sidestepped Doale's punch, kicking his hand away. The Emperor responded with a fierce backfist with his other hand that connected painfully with Buu's jaw. Buu, using the tentacle on his head, stretched it and wrapped Doale with it, slamming him into the ground. A piercing pain shot through Buu's tentacle as it exploded in a rain of fiery pieces. The abuse Doale just went through barely scarred him. He threw a ball of fire at Buu and spread into a fiery ring upon contact, nearly frying him to death.  
  
"Stop this foolishness, Firebird" Buu ordered. "Don't you see?" He dodged another fireball. "We are allies condemned to the same hell. What have we been freed from if we're only here to fight each other?"  
  
Doale felt his rage subsize, only to be replaced by a new feeling - the feeling of kinship. He didn't want to give in to Buu's speech, but he felt he was right. Memories of another life began flooding Doale's mind.  
  
***  
  
"Aaah!" the Firebird screamed as he was surrounded by a bright light. The pain was so intense, as if a hot knife was slicing through his body. "What are you doing to me?!!!" he screamed. Here in the afterlife, no amount of screaming to alleviate the pain. Without a body with hormones to surpress the pain, the Firebird was living through the true meaning of suffering. "AAARRGGGHHH!!!"  
  
Another voice eventually joined his chorus of pain, the voice of a young child; the voice of the brat that he'd posessed. Now he understood where the pain was coming from. Their souls had merged, and now that they were in the afterlife, their souls were being seperated. A condemning voice spoke in his head.  
  
"Your fate has been decided, Firebird. Hell awaits you."  
  
The Firebird saw a red light start to envelope him. He looked towards Goken's soul, seeing a white light lift him from the pits of the underworld. He reached up with the strength he had left and snatched Goken's ankle and refused to let go. The flames pulled the Firebird downward, but he would take Goken with him before he went. The struggle between the flames and the divine light pulling began. The Firebird managed to kick free somehow, and the next thing he remebered was flying through a tunnel of white light. He remembered turning to his left and seeing an unconscious Goken travelling through the same tunnel.  
  
But what he saw confused him. Everyone talks about the light at the end of the tunnel, but what he saw contradicted that. There wasn't one light at the end, but two. To the left, where Goken was headed, was a bright green planet. He could see flashes of a house, friends, a family gathered around in front of a fireplace on a cold night and lots of food.  
  
To the right was a dark castle in the middle of a vast sea of buildings and technology. He could see slaves working and being punished, hauling blocks and building material to construct more buildings to add to the growing empire, while a corrupt monarch bathed in wealth and whom were never satisfied with what they had. That was the path the Firebird was headed towards.  
  
***  
  
"The only reason Emperor Doale came into being is because you were able to join Goken in reincarnation," Buu explained. "But with your memories fully restored, you can stop this sharade as Doale and join me in conquering this world. Whatever your answer now we still have a common enemy; the Z soldiers. We have to deal with them first and we can't do it without working together."  
  
There was an awkward moment of silence as Doale stood there contemplating Buu's offer. He was right. His whole life only came to be because the Firebird was able to escape Hell. The entire identity of Doale had no relevance to the power he had right now. He could afford to leave the title behind. After all, just like Goken, the Firebird too had been given a second chance at life, but he could take this as an opportunity to continue his hunt for power despite being killed by Gohan. Ah yes, Gohan. The Firebird wanted revenge on Gohan for killing him.  
  
"First of all," he said to Buu, "Doale is not my name. I am the Firebird." 


	13. Interlude: Before the Storm

The flames of Hell were intense. With each eruption of a tongue of fire, charred rock was thrown every which way, littering the dense air with flying debris. Still, the warriors remained unwavering. There were three of them, chosen by Buu to be resurrected into the physical realm using Doale's T3 technology. They stood with their undivided attention on Buu and Emperor Doale who stood before all of them. 

The first in line was a short but powerfully build lizard like creature, chosen by the Firebird himself. His body was mostly white, but on his shoulders, head and chest were purple plated armor. They called him Frieza, an Emperor responsible for the destruction of the Saiyan planet. If he was capable of destroying an entire planet of Saiyans, there was no doubt he could handle a handful of them. 

The second in line was an android who strongly resembled a regular human. He had jet black shoulder length hair and an orange bandana tied around his neck, contrasting the black T-shirt that hung loosely around his torso. Jeans ripped at the knees and body piercing added to his rough attitude. In life, he had been the team mate of the of the Z Soldier's wives. Together, they worked as a team destroying cities and murdering innocents. But ever since Juuhachi Gou decided to settle with Kuririn, the ridiculous bald monk who fought them at the time, he'd labeled her as a traitor and severed their alliance. Now, forming a new alliance with the Firebird and Buu, Juunana Gou was about to get another chance at destroying at Z Soldiers. 

The third was non other than Cell, once again banished to Hell after being murdered by Doale. He glared angrily now at the Firebird standing before, knowing it's presence meant Doale had been forgotten. The Firebird smirked back at Cell, mocking his state. Cell's solid insect like casing was cracked in various places. His pale skin was charred in various areas deeply cut in others. 

"You have been called together for a mission," Buu spoke loudly to the three of them. "Using Emperor Doale's T3 technology, we have been able to resurrect you fallen warriors to exact our revenge on the Z Soldiers who have condemned us to this place." 

"We already have a main base of operation on the surface of earth," the Firebird continued, "with an army at our disposal. I doubt we will need the army, however. But in case we should choose to employ them, I, being their Emperor, will be in charge of overseeing their missions." 

"We will be opening the gate to Earth shortly," Buu began, "and once we get there, we'll rest for the night. But tomorrow morning, we wreak havoc on the Earth. City after city will fall at our feet, the people will beg for their lives, and most importantly, the Z Soldiers will try and confront us." 

"They've fought and defeated us before, but not all at once. It will be interesting to see how tomorrow's events will unfold."  
  
***  
  
At the Brief's residence, the morning light shone through the windows in brilliant rays. Birds could be heard outside, shattering the silence with their shrill chirps. Gohan wasn't in the mood. He threw the white sheets over his head, hoping to drown out the light and the sound. It didn't work, and he didn't feel like doing anything about it either. 

The past few days had been too quiet. Ever since Doale left to reclaim his kingdom, they hadn't heard a word from him. Well why should they? _After all, you were the one who chased him away,_ Gohan thought bitterly to himself. Doale could be planning anything now, and there was no way of telling what. Except. Kamisama might know the answer. No, it was impossible for the God's powers to penetrate the dark energy barrier that naturally surrounded the Dark Empire, especially when they had the power to tap into the underworld itself. And if they resurrected Buu and Cell, that means they could do the same for whoever they wanted. Gohan hit himself mentally for being such a fool. It was more dangerous to have Doale opposing you than having him on your side. There was a reason why he was the Emperor of such a powerful Empire. 

"Stop scolding yourself for what's already been done," a voice said in his head. 

"Dad, get outta here," Gohan replied out loud. The door to his temporary room opened and a spiky-haired Goku entered. 

"Sorry about that, son," he said. Gohan sighed. It was good to have his father back after so long. After all the man was always disappearing on his family. "I got some bad news for you." Gohan sat up in bed almost immediately and stared at his father with a shocked expression. "About what?" "It's about Doale. He's changed for the worse. He's aware of the Firebird's power inside him and . it's hard to explain, but the Firebird's back. Doale's identity is a thing of the past."  
  
***  
  


"And along with that, he's also resurrected Juunana Gou and Freiza, along with Cell and Buu," Goku continued, now standing in front of an audience consisted of the other Z Soldiers. 

"And how is it you know all this, Kakarot?" Vegeta, a shorter Saiyan spoke up with a bitter tone in his voice. "If Kamisama can't penetrate the barrier of Doale's empire, what makes you think you can?" 

"Because I'm a part of the Eternal Dragon," Goku explained. "Kamisama is the God of all things good. But being the Eternal Dragon, I am not biased to either good or evil. That's why I know what's going on behind the Dark Empire." 

"Juunana Gou is back?" Juuhachi Gou asked, alarmed by Goku's statement. Suddenly the blonde android's usually cool exterior vanished, only to be replaced by a very concerned look. She knew what he was capable of doing. Perhaps she could change him for the better? That could never happen. 

"Most of the evils we have faced are teaming up," Goku continued, "and therefore we have to join forces too. We can't let them destroy this planet along with our families and friends."  
  
***  
  


Frieza sat on a cold wooden stool in his quarters, staring out the window towards a city just a few miles away. It's bright lights shone brightly in the night, like jewels waiting to be plucked. Doale's - or should we say, the Firebird's palace was amazing. Dark and gloomy as it was, it had all the luxurious necessities an Emperor should have. Lush, expensive carpets, rare pottery and paintings depicting the ancestors that preceded him. 

Frieza took a deep breath and let it out, savoring the fresh air he was able to breathe when he was alive, so long ago. It was so much better than the putrid smell in the underworld, the smell of burning flesh, sulfur gas, sweat and blood. He cursed the Saiyans who killed him and had sent him there. No, he cursed Goku. He was the only one responsible for his death. Goku was the Saiyan who sliced him cleanly into two pieces, a sickening death for the Emperor of the Saiyan planet. 

Frieza also remembered Vegeta, the so-called Prince of the Saiyans. That hierarchy was crushed the moment Frieza and his forces set foot on the Saiyan planet. Why he still called himself a prince, Frieza never understood. He wondered if he was a changed man by now after all these years. Frieza's thoughts drifted away into the darkness of slumber. He began salivating like a child without even knowing it, looking forward to the excitement the next morning would bring. Revenge. 


	14. Chapter 10: Change of Heart Two Minutes...

Juunana Gou felt his black strands of hair whip painfully around his face as the force of the explosion hit him. But he didn't wince. Instead, he took delight in seeing the chunks of concrete from the building he'd blown up come flying his way. Shooting short, but powerful bursts of ki from his palms, he grinned like a boy playing some kind of target practice game, as the smaller pieces of debris that came flying at him were incinerated.   
Around the dark haired android lay a wasteland of concrete, glass and metal. These were the remains of the east town area of Satan City. Corpses lay bleeding in cars, under boulders, on the street ... everywhere. As Juunana Gou admired his handy work, faint explosions in the distance could also be heard. It was one of the others, perhaps Frieza, judging by the machinegun rate the explosions were occuring at.   
The east area fell surprisingly quickly. Within the few minutes after Juunana Gou arrived with Frieza, Cell, the Firebird and Buu, the screaming grew intensely loud, then subsided, and eventually died, along with the people they came from.   
  
***

"Where is that blasted crying coming from?" the Firebird asked rhetorically, with nobody closeby to answer him. It was more of a whimper of a child than crying, and it seemed to be coming from all around him!   
He kicked random chunks of concrete and boulders with such for that they exploded. Yet he couldn't expose the child just was producing that annoying sound! Wham! He watched another rock explode into dust when he saw what he was looking for.   
Behind the rock, hidden behind a group of tin garbage cans was a small boy, not more than four years old. He hugged his scraped knees towards his dust coated body with charred arms, large black eyes pleading silently with the Firebird to spare his life.   
But the Firebird wouldn't hear of such weakness. He raised his arm and gathered a huge ki ball. The boy curled into a trembling ball, hoping that his end would be quick. The Firebird was about to throw the ki ball when he stopped. Something wouldn't let him.   
"What am I doing?" he asked himself. "Why does this feel so wrong?" But he knew the answer all to well. He realized the truth.   
Chichi was right about him. Killing this child was something that the Firebird would do. But he wasn't the Firebird anymore. He was Doale. And yes, Doale too had his share of murdering countless people, but since coming to this world, another side of the young Emperor was showing; a kinder, caring side.   
He suddenly felt disgusted at himself for trying to become the Firebird once again. After his experiences as Emperor Doale, he could not revert to the way he was in his past life. It was impossible, because Doale and the Firebird are two seperate beings, although they share the same soul.   
"I was wrong," he said silently. "I am not the Firebird. I am Doale, and I know I have to change my life for the better." But it was alot easier to say than it was to do. He knew what he had to do. But thinking of the process, being declared traitor by Buu and the others, not knowing if the Z Soldiers would accept him, Doale wasn't sure if his newfound belief was worth all that. He didn't want to think about that right now.   
He picked up the child who whimpered in fear again. But after Doale held the boy close to his body, stroking his black hair gently, he knew what he had to fight for. Doale could feel the child's heartbeat with his. It was rapid at first, indicating fear. But it gradually subsided, and became calm. The boy wrapped his chubby arms around Doale's neck and started crying. Doale continued to stroke his back, whispering quietly into his ear, "That's right, you can cry now. The bad guys are gone, it's safe to cry."   
Having the child embrace him was something Doale had never experienced before. It felt like a warm hand had just gripped his cold heart, melting it. Was this what he'd put so many civilizations through? Was this the suffering so many people endured because of his empire? Definitely. Again, Doale felt sick to his stomach, realizing how wrong he'd been leading his whole life. He knew he had to change it now. Right now, at this very point in time as the stood there holding the boy, comforting him in his arms. And it didn't take defeat for Doale to have a change of heart. It was the innocence of a child that did it to him. "Oh god, I'm pathetic," he whispered, rolling his eyes.   
The serenity only lasted a moment when a third, firm voice interrupted the scene. "Let the boy go, Doale."   
The young Emperor turned around to face a tall figure of a man with spiky black hair and thick glasses. He took of his glasses and tucked them into the shirt of his pocket.   
"You went far enough as the Firebird and now you're continuing your wave of terror as Doale," Gohan said. "You've destroyed countless civilizations, murdered billions of innocent people just to expand your empire. You've torn families apart, enslaved them, even murdered your own parents. And now you've released four of our arch nemesis' from the past just to serve your selfish ambitions. You don't deserve to live. And it will only be a matter of time before they turn around and kill you."   
Gohan straightened his posture while his hair erupted in a bright gold flame, turning it gold. Electricity sizzled in the air surrounding him as his clothes flapped violently in the energy waves that emanated from his body. "But they won't have to do that. I'm solving this problem by attacking it's root. I'm going to kill you first."   



	15. Chapter 11: A World Away

It felt like a bomb had exploded onto Doale's chest, burning through his armored chest plate and searing his skin. The force was so powerful it flung him helplessly through the air and through a massive chunk of concrete, shattering it into pieces.   


Gohan ran after Doale's flying body, teleported behind him and caught him in a strangling headlock.   


"Stop," Doale pleaded through coughing fits. "I'm ... not the FIREBIRD!" The words didn't phase Gohan, who continued applying the suffocating pressure to the young Emperor's neck.   


"Hurry up, and die," Gohan hissed coldly, ignoring the stinging tears than ran down his eyes. "You slaughtered millions, both in this life and in your past. You ressurected our enemies for your own selfish purposes. You killed my brother!" Gohan could feel his face turn red with anger, and with the effort of trying to kill Doale, who stubbornly clung onto life ... just like Goken ...   


"If ... if I was truly the enemy ... why'd I save your life back ... in the forest?!" Gohan's suddenly lost his strength as he released Doale, collapsing on the ground with fatigue.   
Doale fell onto his knees, coughing as gasping for air. His weak, blurry eyes looked at the young boy whose innocence changed his entire frame of mind. The child now stood hiding behind a stone. Those same eyes that had melted his heart now showed expressions of fear, fear that Gohan would kill him.

__

Gohan wouldn't kill him, Doale thought. _It's me that he wants dead. _  
  
**_BOOM! _**  
  
An explosion of energy came from Gohan's general direction. His hair stood straight up on end. The electricity surrounding his body was so intense, it made the fine hairs on Doale's arm stand on end too.   
The level two Saiyan charged at full speed towards Doale, screaming at the top of his lungs.   


"This is the end," Doale whispered to himself under his breath. "Make it quick. Oh god, please make it quick."   
It happened so quickly, Doale's mind hardly had time to register. As the heat from the energy surrounding Gohan's body threatened to vaporize him, something warm wrapped around his waist, blocking the deadly blinding light.   


"No!!" a child's voice screamed.   
It couldn't be. The boy had put his own life on the line to save Doale's. His tiny body, no match for Gohan's power, was the only thing standing in between Doale and instant death.   


* * * 

A distant world, far beyond the reaches of the known universe where the constellations were unfamiliar, a terrifying scream of horror escaped from a teenager's mouth. The remnants of a nightmare still clinging to his mind, he sat up from bed and fumbled for the light switch. Beads of sweat on his forehead glittered in the moonlight.  
He found the switch, and flipped it, and instantly the room was bathed in a luminous light. And there everything was, just as they should have been; the wooden dresser to his right, the radio on the far wall, and the window that overlooked the entire city, in all it's glowing glory. The boy wiped an arm across his forehead, sighing outwards in relief.  


Comforted by his familiar surroundings, he tried to let his mind recall the events of the nightmare that woke him up. There was nothing. He couldn't remember anything but the feeling - no, that was the wrong word. The _emotions_ the dream had left with him were all too familiar; the feeling of a demon inside of him, the fear of death for those he loved.   


"Like it's happened before," he said under his breath. Shaking his head, the boy looked at himself in the mirror. Dark brown hair parted to the right, falling around the round frame of his face. His eyes were tilted slightly upwards at the corners - oriental eyes. He brought his fingers up to them and rubbed them. "Get a grip, Ken," he told himself. "You're too old to have nightmares."   
But that still didn't shake the feeling. Someone out there needed his help.   
  
* * *   
  
"Perhaps you could try picking on somebody your own size," Frieza said, surprising Gohan.   
Gohan turned up from Doale's collapsed body, lying in a bloody heap on the ground. The boy that had tried protecting him had been safely teleported away. There was no way Gohan was letting anyone stop him from getting the revenge he wanted. Not a young child, and certainly not Frieza.   
The lizard king snapped his fingers, and out from behind various pieces of debris stepped the demons Gohan had hoped never to see again. And there they all stood in one giant horrifying collaboration. A green shelled humanoid insect, "Cell," a largely built human looking android with black hair reaching down to his shoulders, "Juunana Gou," a tall pink demon who appeared to be made of dough, "Buu," and Frieza himself.   
  
Doale had been permanently removed from the picture, now dying on the ground at Gohan's feet. He struggled to open his eyes, watching the world spin around him. _I've lost too much blood_. Sharp pains of broken bones assaulted his dying body, coated in a fine layer of dust. "Not the way an Emperor should die," he thought, "but it's everything I deserve ... isn't it..."   
  
Four demons now stood in front of Gohan. Even at level two, he was doubtful he would be able to take them all on. They began to close in on him with slow, cautious steps, their power levels slowly rising with every step they took. Gohan stood unmoving.   


"Charge!!" Buu ordered. They dashed towards the Saiyan boy with blinding speed from all directions, but a flash of white light prevented them from laying a finger on him.   
Gohan shook his head, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to open them.   
A warm hand placed itself on his shouders and a voice said, "Don't worry Gohan, we're here for you."   
It was an all too familiar voice. "Dad," he said, "thanks for being here."   


"Getting killed once wasn't enough for you I see," a raspy, cocky voice said. It could've only belonged to the Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta. Gohan's eyes finally recovered from the shock and smiling cheerfully in front of him were the faces of Goku, Vegeta, Juuhachi Gou, Trunks, Goten, and Piccolo.   
"Ready to kick some ass, bro?" Goten asked Gohan enthusiastically with clenched fists.   
  
***   
  
"Gohan, no!!" Chichi screamed, tears flowing freely down her face. But she saw Gohan grab the little boy that Doale had embraced - the boy that looked so much like her Goken, and teleported the kid away to safety. But when he returned, Gohan pummeled Doale mercilessly in an array of lightning fast kicks and punches. Chichi swore she could almost hear the bones breaking, along with her heart with every impact of Gohan's strikes. And Doale, the young Emperor offered no resistance, only submission. 

Not even the chilly wind that blew at the altitudes of Kamisama's palace effected Chichi. Her body had shut off all physical feeling.   
She sat crying tears of sorrow into a soaking tear-filled hankerchief. Bulma was at her side, with arms wrapped tightly around Chichi's shoulders for support.   
The two women watched the events unfold through a window appearing through space and time. Doale was dead, murdered by her beloved Gohan.   


"I didn't want him dead, Bulma," Chichi cried. "He might have deserved it, but ... he was willing to change. Oh god, Bulma, I saw it in his eyes. He cares for us. But now..."   


"No more, Chichi," she said. "Doale is not Goken, he was never Goken. Let him go."   


"No," Chichi said, "it's not because we thought he was Goken! Non of that nonsense! It's because he cared for us, and was willing to turn his whole life around for us." _How could you do this, Gohan? _  
  
***   
  
The morning sunshine illuminated the white walls of the massive mansion living room. Elaborate pillars held up a ceiling mosaic depicting the history of the legendary Golden City.   
The bright atmosphere didn't even dampen the dark mood that had set into Ken's heart. He stood in front of his comrades, who looked at him with worried eyes. They knew he had something important to tell them, but they didn't know what.   


"I ... I have to go," he said flatly, trying to hide the building sadness that threatened to explode. It hurt him to say that to his friends. They had been through so much for the past seven years, risking their lives on some insane mission to liberate their captured city. And now that it was over, now that the battle had been won, something was calling him away.   


"Go where?" Chaz, a light brown haired guy asked. He was the closest to Ken's age and the two of them had been best friends as long as either of them could remember.   


"Go ... I'm not sure," Ken replied. "I can't explain it. It kind of ... came to me in a dream." He paused for a moment, seeing the looks of "what are you, crazy??" look appear on everyone's faces. "I know it's hard to understand, and believe me it's hard to explain. But ever since I've had these recurring dreams, I haven't been able to shake this feeling. I know where to go, but I don't know where exactly I have to go. I think it means something. I'm so sure of it, because in every one, there's always been this image of a crystal orange ball with these eight brilliant stars in the middle. It's almost like it's calling out to me. All I know is I have to go."   


"Yeah, but to where??" Marshall, the tall leader of the group asked. "You can't just leave us all of a sudden, after seven years claiming you have to go SOMEWHERE!! That's insane." Ken frowned. Being responsible for everyone, Marshall had the tendency to want to know everything about everyone. But Ken knew his own reasons hardly made sense to himself, let alone the all controlling Marshall.   


"Back to..." Ken had no idea at first, but then the words hit him, like they were there all along, he just didn't know how to say it. "Back to my home. Back to my family." And no other statement could have described his feelings more.  



	16. Chapter 12: On My Way

Gohan winced as his palms locked with Cell's with such force, the surrounding dust was blown in every directed. Their faces were inches part, both of them applying so much pressure, a vein protruded from under the skin above their temples.   


Gohan stared into the cold, menacing eyes of Cell, who equally stared right back at the strong, determined eyes of Gohan. But of them stuck in a powerful lock, neither of them budging. After a short power struggle, Gohan's Saiyan power eventually took over, throwing Cell backwards.   


The futuristic bug performed a black flip in midair, regaining his balance as his feet touched the ground gracefully. Upon touching the ground, he wasted no time in dashing towards Gohan, getting an offensive edge to his attacks.   
Gohan predicted this, but only had to time cover his face and chest with his arms crossed over him. He could feel the rapid succession of Cell's punches, denting his skin and bruising his bones. Surprisingly, that was all he felt.   
Suddenly, something hot and stingy ripped at his skin. A ki ball. Cell had used ki against him. Gohan fired back, a massive beam of blue ki shooting forth from his palms. The energy released blew his hair backwards, and threw the dust in his face so that he couldn't open his eyes. Cell could be anywhere...   
  
* * * *   
  
"So you're back for more, huh?" Goku asked, a childish grin spreading across and equally childish face.   


"You will pay for what you did to me so many years ago," Frieza said. The lizard felt threatened by Goku, more so than he wanted to admit. He remembered exactly how he died, having a sharp beam of ki slice his body neatly in two. Frieza remembered lying on the warm soil, distant booms in the distance, choking on fumes released by a planet that was about to be destroyed. He remembered begging Goku for his life. "You're not going to win this time. We have the power of the Firebird on our side."   


WHAM!! 

Goku's shin connected with the side of Frieza's head with blinding speed. A sharp crack split the air when the lizard's teeth collided with each other upon impact. "Shut up and fight," Goku said.   
  
* * * *  
  
Juunana Gou let his gaze settle upon the soft ivory skin of his former partner. He licked his lips at the sight of her blonde hair, now cut short to her chin. Her pale blue eyes bore a threatening glare, captivating nonetheless. She was a traitor, but such a beautiful one at that. It was a waste that he had to kill her, really.   


But now, he had her in a warm embrace with her back to his chest. He breathed in her scent of lavender perfume and his mouth began to water. Juunana Gou ran his lips up and down her shoulders and neck. This was what he wanted. And she didn't offer any resistence either. Maybe there was help for Juuhachi Gou after all.   


Juunana Gou's mind raced. Light fog seemed to surround him in this perfect moment. It was like a dream, out of hell and into the heart of the woman he wanted.   
  
"Let me go!" Juuhachi Gou demanded. Despite her flailing and kicking, nothing seemed to suffice. It was as if her fellow android were obvlivious to her kicking and screaming, not to mention the biting and scratching.   


He held her body by he waist with her feet a good six inches off the ground. It was when he started kissing her neck and shoulder so passionately, that her stomach began to turn.   


Fortunately, Juuhachi Gou had felt a small, but intense beam of heat near her head. It was a laser like shot, straight from the fingertips of Piccolo. Juunana Gou collapsed in a heap in a spray of dust. Juuhachi Gou stared at her savior with grateful eyes. "I owe you my life," she said.   


"He wouldn't have harmed you," Piccolo said.   


"No, but I would've killed myself if I'd been in that position any longer."   
  
* * * *   
  
A lavender haired Trunks fell onto his butt out of exhaustion after hauling the unconscious body of Doale to safety behind a rock. His spikey haired buddy Goten sat down beside him, as both boys panted in exhaustion.   


"I think... he's... still... alive...," Trunks wheezed.   


"Yeah...," Goten replied. He swallowed some spit. "I sense... his... ki..."   
Goten looked at Doale, wondering how this mere teenager, not even into manhood could've been the Emperor to such a powerful empire. Goten had sensed his good intentions too, and acting upon Chichi's instruction, he saved Doale from anymore harm that could've come to him.   


The Emperor's eyes were closed. The left eye had been bruised. His lip was cut and bleeding, various scratches all over his arms and legs, and that was just the outside. There was no knowing how much internal damage he suffered.   
A young Namek teenager materialized beside Doale's body. Kamisama and the others must've been watching their progress from up above. The Namek healer, known as Dende, raised his clawed hands towards Doale. Both of their bodies were engulfed in a warm, radiating light. Trunks and Goten watched in awe as the wounds very slowly became fainter and fainter.   


"You can do it, Dende," Trunks said, crossing his fingers. Dende didn't budge. His gaze remained focused, even as a bead of sweat began running down the side of his face. It was only a matter of time before Doale could be saved. All they needed was time.   
  
* * * *  
  
"Some final battle this is turning out to be," Vegeta spat at Buu. "Your forces aren't even phasing us." This couldn't be right. It seemed to easy.   


"Perhaps we've underestimated you Saiyans," Buu said, putting his hands up in the form of surrendering. "But you know, Vegeta, you joined us once. Why aren't you doing it now."   


"Asshole! Don't even think about holding that against me! You know it was the biggest mistake of my life."   


"And what is it that makes you think that? Your family? Love?"   
Vegeta nodded. "And I'll be dead before I let you take that all away from me today."   


"That's why you are pathetic! You let meaningless things like love get in the way of the power you are SO capable of getting."   


"I don't want to hear anymore," Vegeta said preparing a ki ball in his palm. 

"Prepare to die you pink fool." Confident as Vegeta might have sounded, deep in his heart there was a feeling of dread. He'd spent too much of his life as a warrior and he knew, something was telling him this was far too easy of a victory. Something big was about to happen.   
  
* * * *  
  
The young, mysterious boy, Ken, stood at the cliff edge gazing at the scene before him. The night air was quiet and cold. The distant songs of crickets could be heard. Above, the brilliant starlight lit everything around. Everything was so clear, they could see a river of stars, all shining with different intensity and sizes. Behind him, his former comrades stood silently, as if anticipating something to happen.   


"I can't hear anything," Chaz said, breaking the silence.   
"Something's coming," Ken said, "I can feel it." The others continued standing quietly for a moment, and suddenly out of nowhere, the wind picked up.   


"Oh my god," Marshall said, pointing at the sky. "Did you see that? I saw a shooting star!!"   


"Haha, not many days we get out of the city to see something like this," Chaz laughed. "Great idea, Ken!"   


"It told me to come to a place where we are most open," Ken explained. "It told me to go to a place where we can see the universe in a single glance. This was the only place I could think of."   


"Oh look, there's another one!!"   


One by one, the meteors appeared, streaking their way across the heavens. At first, they only came individually. But they continued to come in pairs, gradually increasing in intensity, it looked as if the earth itself was travelling at high speeds as the stars went sailing by.   


"What's going on?" Marshall asked, looking up towards the sky. The brilliant lights of the meteors outshone the original starlight. The sky was almost as bright as daytime. The wind continued to pick up. By now, it was howling, even threatening to pick the boys off their feet.   


The light continued to increase with intensity until it blinded everyone. The moment it reached its peak, a powerful energy wave knocked everybody to the ground, and the wind, whose pitch had reached to that equivalent of a screaming girl, had died.   
Now, only the sound of dry wind could be heard and it was dark once again. Marshall got up painfully to his feet.   


"Is everyone alright...?" His first thought was to check up on everyone. But upon observing his surroundings, he realized they seemed to be floating amongst the stars! There was no cliff, no dusty ground. Just empty space beneath their feet. But it was that light where Ken was standing that caught his immediate attention. He momentarily forgot about his unconscious comrades lying on the "ground" before him.   


"Ken? What's going on?"   


Ken turned around to face Marshall. He was bathed in an immaculate light and behind him there was a huge image of a crystal ball, glittering in the light. In its center, eight stars were carefully positioned in a ring. It was the mysterious ball Ken had described from his dreams.   


"What the hell just happened?" Chaz mumbled, regaining consciousness from his ordeal. The others began to moan in pain.   


"I have to go now," Ken said, his eyes looking downward in sadness.   
"Go home, right?" Marshall asked. "To the home that you have no idea where it is."   


Ken nodded, aware of how ridiculous it sounded. Yet it was true. "I don't know what's going on either," he said, "it's like something is guiding me. And I get the feeling ... once this is all over I'll be back. Whenever that is."   


Marshall didn't know how to take this. Ken's warning had been too short of notice. And for the past few years, they'd been fighting as a team against the forces of evil for so long. How could Ken leave them just like that? 

"Ken, I..." Marshall wanted to scream at him, he wanted to tell Ken not to go, he wanted to remind him how ridiculous this whole situation was. "Take care, buddy."   


Ken nodded, his face threatening to burst into tears. "Dont have too much fun without me. I'll be back soon."   


Marshall suddenly found himself standing at the cliff edge. Chaz and the others were right behind him, gazing at awe at the star filled heavens once again. It was just like moments ago, but Ken wasn't there with them anymore.   


"What just happened?" Chaz asked.   


"Ken," Marshall replied, "Ken went home." And as he said that, a single, solitary meteor raced across the horizon and disappeared into space, creating the longest tail of brilliant light that anyone of them had ever seen.   
  



	17. Interlude: Merging of Doale and Ken

Ken opened his eyes very slowly, carefully taking in his surroundings. It was pitch black; so dark, he could hardly see his hands when he put them in front of his face. But the distant light so heavenly, so pure, situated there at the end of the tunnel provided enough vision to keep him from going mentally insane. 

He put his hands to his chest, feeling his body. Ken felt light, as if he were floating in air. It was as if the weight and density of his body was suspended in midair. He heard of this many times - _The light at the end of the tunnel._ _Does this mean I'm dead? Was I killed in that explosion?_

His thoughts shifted when he saw it. Floating there, in the middle of this vast, dark tunnel, was a body. A body of what - Ken didn't know. A rock perhaps? But as he got progressively closer, the light at the end became increasingly brighter and he was at last able to see that the body that lay before him was that of a person. He could see he was male, somewhere around his age. His dark, rusted armor, coated with years of bloodstains covered his whole torso and legs. A giant, magnificent cape shrouded his body. His large, almost innocent looking eyes were peacefully closed. 

"I know you," Ken almost whispered aloud. He kicked himself mentally for thinking talking out loud. _The aura this guy is giving off feels familiar._ It was that familiar feeling again, the one Ken often got in his dreams, as if he experienced something from a past life. _Past life? Is this what the dreams have been trying to tell me about? _

As if the unconscious body had been reading and agreeing with Ken's thoughts, he opened his eyes, and looked him straight in the eye. He spoke with a half dead, raspy voice. "Who are you?" he asked. There was no tone of aggression, only a plea for an explanation. 

"The light," Ken began, "at the end of the tunnel … you see it too right?"

The other boy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can see it. Oh god, does this mean we're …"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I…" he paused for a moment, unable to remember his last moments. "There was a fight. He… Gohan was mistaken." His face twisted painfully upon recalling the events. "I didn't want to fight him." Tears were beginning to form. 

Ken didn't know what this guy was talking about. Whatever it was, it was tearing him apart, and Ken didn't want to hear anymore. But for the sake of interest, he kept his thoughts to himself and tried to console the stranger. "What … did he do to you?"

The stranger didn't say anything. But Ken was beginning to understand what happened, which would explain why they were both here. This boy must've fought in some battle and had gotten killed. That explained this mysterious light at the end of the tunnel, and it also explained Ken's current predicament. 

The stranger regained his composure without warning, and looked at Ken with a cold, emotionless gaze. "You…" 

__

He's noticed it too. We've met before. "What's your name?" Ken asked. 

"Doale," the stranger replied, "Emperor Doale."

"Such a unique name," Ken said, "I've never heard of such a name before. But yet, I can't help feeling that sometime, somewhere…"

"We've met," he finished off Ken's sentence. "It was a long time ago, fourteen years to be exact."

This was it. This was when Ken would find out what his mysterious dreams have been trying to tell him. But as soon as Doale opened his mouth to continue, his body became strangely translucent. It was as if someone was trying to pull him away from this plane of existence. 

"They're trying to save my life," Doale said in realization. "They want to bring me back."

__

No, not right now! Not when I'm about to find out what's going on! "Bring you back to where? Please Doale, you're the only one who can tell me what's going on around me. I've been having these strange experiences lately and the only thing I can think of is some ridiculous idea of a past life and…"

"We need your help," Doale said, as his body began to slowly vanish. "Come with me." Doale extended his hand for Ken to take. 

He hesitated. "I can't, I don't even know what's going on!" Ken said, throwing his arms in the air. 

"We are the only hope left to save our world," Doale said. "When our souls combine, we gain the power of the Devotee; Earth's last defense against destruction."

"Devotee?"

"Yes, the Devotee. There's not much time left, we need to get back before Buu decides to unleash his powers. He will destroy the Z Soldiers for sure." 

Ken couldn't budge. He couldn't absorb all this crazy illogical information being thrown at him. "I…"

"It is your duty as the Devotee," Doale continued. "You know much more than I do, that this is your fate. Do it for the world, do it to save your family."

Ken couldn't quite figure out what Doale was talking about, but he could sense no evil in the Emperor's heart. _What the hell, you've saved the earth many times with Marshall and the others. Even if Doale's a bad guy, you can get yourself out of this situation right? _Ken half-heartedly reached out towards Doale, and instead of touching the Emperor's fingertips, he seemed to be being merging with him. It was as if the molecules that made up their fingers welded onto each other, making Ken and Doale, two separate identities, one. 

Ken could hear Doale's voice echoing inside his head. "Just like old times, huh? Once again, we have merged into one being, only this time it's for the benefit of the world. Welcome back, Son Goken."


	18. Chapter 13: Interference

The three beaten and bloody bodies fell on top of each other in a heaping pile, each one making a wet sounding thud as they collided. Cell, Frieza, and Juunana Gou each hopelessly lost their battle to Gohan, Goku and Juuhachi Gou, respectively. These once terrifying nemeses to the Z Soldiers had spent decades in the underworld, only to resurface as practice dummies for them. 

But there was little celebration in the air. Goku, Gohan, and Juuhachi Gou stood closely together, ready for the next wave of attack. Something told them this wasn't right. They shouldn't have gone down that easily. And if they were really that weak, Majin Buu wouldn't have helped resurrect them to help fight the Z Soldiers. 

On a rocky cliff, nearby main bulk of the action was, Vegeta stood facing Buu with fists raised in front of his sweaty face. In sharp contrast, Buu's posture was more relaxed with arms hanging at his sides, shoulders loose, and a smirk on his pink, demonic face. 

"It is time," he said. Buu's eyes began to glow burning red. He raised his fists, tugging his elbows closer towards his body. Muscles in his arms, legs and chest began to tighten as his mouth opened, allowing a gust of steam to escape. The holes that decorated the sides of his head opened up as well, each one shooting out an intense, pressurized jet of steam. 

Vegeta had seen this behavior in Buu before, long ago when he first attacked the Earth. Once again, he was beginning to worry. But Vegeta's concern turned into fear when he saw just what kind of secret power Buu had inside of him … or at least, what kind of power he was tapping into. 

As if in unison with Vegeta's thoughts, Buu's body erupted into flames, exactly like some spontaneous combustion. But what scared Vegeta was that Buu was showing no signs of suffering. Instead, it looked as if the flames were feeding him with energy. He looked at Vegeta, smiled, and said, "This is why it was necessary to have Emperor Doale on our side. Having absorbed the powers of Son Goken fourteen years ago, the Firebird had inherited some of his power. Despite being separated in the afterlife, the souls of Goken and the Firebird couldn't be completely severed from one another."

By this time, he'd caught Gohan's attention who was listening intensely now, piecing the information together. "So that's why Emperor Doale refused to hurt us before," he said. 

"What are you getting at?" Goku asked. 

"I thought Doale was Goken," Gohan explained, "because he refused to hurt us when he had the power to. And he also resembled Goken in physical appearance and in energy signature. But all along, Doale was really the Firebird's soul with Goken's attributes. This is all beginning to make sense."

"Very good, you pathetic fool," Buu said, looking towards Gohan. "But you're too late. As we speak, Emperor Doale is supplying us with his powers. You did us quite a favor, Gohan. By killing his physical body, Doale is nothing more than a spirit made out of energy. And now, we are free to harvest that energy using his T3 technology, the same technology that allowed Doale's empire to resurrect us from the dead."

"But instead of resurrecting Doale from the dead, they're using his soul to power themselves us," Goku said outloud to himself and to his fellow Z Soldiers. "This guy is cold."

* * *

"You hear that Trunks?" Goten asked, tapping his friend on the shoulder and the two of the hid behind a boulder, a few meters away from the battle. "Buu is using the T3 technology to tap into Doale's power now that Doale is dead. So if we can revive him, that means…"

"He can't continue to use Doale's powers anymore!" Trunks declared. The two boys looked towards Dende, who's look of straining effort on his face, they could tell he'd heard and understood what they said. It was now more important than ever that they resurrect the fallen Emperor. 

* * *

_Thank you, Goken,_ Doale said telepathically, _now that you've chosen to join forces once again, the Earth is saved._ He could feel the fiery energy of his Firebird energy combining with the powers of the Devotee Goken possessed. As a result of their merge, their combined power increased tenfold, assuring certain victory against Buu and the others. 

But something went wrong. Just as the merge was about to be completed, an unseen force tried to viciously rip them from the afterlife into the living world. A dark energy surrounded the two of them, and they could feel their own energy being drained from them. 

"What's going on?" Ken asked. It was painful at first, feeling like someone that taken a pole and impaled them on it, and then used it as a straw to draw out their energy. Ken felt like a tool, like someone was using them as a source of energy. 

"I'm getting… weaker," Doale said, his eyes starting to close. The two of them had separated, but they had merged enough for their energies to remain as one. And that was what was being attacked. Doale also began to feel another pressure, tugging his soul in the opposite direction. This energy didn't feel evil. He could sense the goodness in the hearts of those responsible. With his remaining strength, Doale pushed himself away from the evil energy, feeling it's grip on his begin to loosen.

But Ken wasn't so lucky. Without having the positive energy tugging on his soul, Doale saw the aura of the evil energy surround Ken, enveloping him it it's cold, blue light. _Doale,_ Ken said, still connecting with his mind, _they're gonna save you. I'm pretty sure…that it's too late for me._

Don't worry, Doale replied, _I'll tell Gohan and the others about you. There's no way in hell they're gonna let you remain as a slave to evil. _

Hurry. I… I don't want to be here. Not like this.

Doale had just met Ken, and already he felt guilty. He was aware of what he'd done in his past life as the Firebird, possessing Goken and making him suffer as a prisoner inside his own body. And now, the reincarnated soul of Goken was once again suffering, something he didn't deserve. At it was all because of Buu. There was no other explanation. The T3 technology of it's kind to be able to transcend dimensions, and the only person with direct access to it was Doale, that is until Buu took over. And that was how he was gaining access to the spiritual world and using it against the two of them. 

_You'll get out of there, I'll make sure of it. _The last thing Doale saw before being pulled back into the physical realm was Ken's soul getting swallowed whole into Buu's energy bubble, with the look of terror in his eyes. 

__


	19. Chapter 14: The Final Battle Part 1

The darkness was tick and powerful, taking the light and sucking it into oblivion. It was cold, so cold that Ken could feel his fingertips and toes turn to ice as he hovered in the darkness, curled up in a protective ball for warmth. He couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed - it made no difference either way. In fact, his physical state was the least of his worries.   
  
Despite the biting cold that assaulted Ken's physical body, he could feel a burning sensation as well. It was the pain of dying muscles, having the energy sucked out of them. He didn't know what was feeding off his life force, but he could feel it becoming increasingly powerful with every second. He had never been aware of his own strength until now, until it had been taken away from him.   
  
"What have I come back to?" he asked himself. "I've left my home and my friends, only to subject myself to this. Somebody ... get me out of here."   
  
The feeling was familiar. The pain, cold and suffering of being held prisoner. _Like when I was ... possessed?_ Ken was surprised at his own thoughts. Or were they memories? He didn't know where the feeling had come from, but he knew it wasn't a conscious thought. Whatever it was, this state of being, this suffering was not something he hadn't experienced before. And that was something he'd be willing to bet his life on.   
  
***   
  
A blinding light assaulted Doale's vision, filling his body with life. The force was so quick, so sudden, he could've sworn he was about to explode in a massive spray of blood and guts. He put a hand up to his eyes, shielding himself from the light, and that was when the silhouette of a person could be seen.   
  
"Get up!" a kind, enthusiastic voice said.   
  
"I'm lying down?" Doale whispered. He felt two hands place dig their way under his shoulder blades, hoisting him up into a sitting position. "Who... what?" He turned around to face the speaker, and he saw two boys whose familiar faces comforted him upon recognition.   
  
"Dude, you're okay!" Goten breathed.   
  
"What am I doing alive?" Doale asked. "I thought I was..."   
  
"Dende saved you," Trunks replied, motioning over to the Namek teen who now sat half collapsed under the shade of a boulder. "Man, if it weren't for him, who knows where you'd be right now."   
  
"I'd be inside Buu, being used as a tool to fight against the Z Soldiers," Doale thought silently, but refused to say it out loud. Ken was now suffering in his place, being condemned to whatever horrible place that was meant for him. The others had to know. They needed to know Goken was back, and in danger. Doale prepared to push himself onto his feet, only to meet with resistance from Trunks and Goten.   
  
"Not a good idea to get up and fight now, man," Trunks said, looking him straight in the eye. "Gohan over there thinks you're the enemy. Not to mention he also thinks you're dead. Going up there in the middle of the battle will get you killed."   
  
"Why did you save me?" Doale asked. "You have no reason to. After what I did so long ago..."   
  
"I wasn't around when you were the Firebird," Goten replied. "I have no biased feelings towards you, other than what you've already shown to us as being Emperor Doale. And I don't know what's going through Gohan's head, but I know you're not a bad guy. Mom thinks so too."   
  
Mom. Chichi. It was the woman who's heart he'd broken those years ago, when the Firebird had posessed Goken. Yet she was willing to put all that behind her. If there was one thing Doale could do for her ... "I have to tell her about Goken. I have to let everyone know about him!"   
  
"What are you talking about?" Trunks asked, running his hand through his lavender hair. "Who the hell is Goken?"   
  
"He's ..." Doale studdered. Well, Goken was the brother of Goten who he'd never known even existed. Goken was the child who suffered immeasureably through Gohan's training, who believed he was a saiyan, when he wasn't. He was the child whose life the Firebird had taken away. "He's somebody who needs our help right now," Doale said quickly as he got up. He nodded his head at Dende, to show gratitude, who waved back in acknowledgement. And with that, Doale quickly flew off towards the battle with Buu, whose ki level, he could sense, was rising at a horrifying rate.   
  
***   
  
The power surge Buu felt had caught him by surprise at first. In fact, it scared him. Doale was never this powerful. Buu knew he'd latched onto something and was drawing the energy from it. Whatever it was, it was a lot more powerful that Doale. He could safely say that it was the strongest energy he'd ever come across. How fate smiled upon Buu that day.   
He looked into the eyes of the terrified Z Soldiers standing before him. Even Goku, at Super Saiyan level 3, with that long mop of golden hair, was trembling upon sensing his ki.   
  
"That's right you imbeciles," Buu said, "grovel in fear for your worthless lives." Buu waved his hand in an outward arc. An invisible force of energy knocked everyone down, as they each let out a painful grunt. The loudest was Vegeta. That arrogant prince of nothing needed to be put in his place.   
  
Buu concentrated his power in an arch shape on the rocky ground. He could feel his eyes burn fiery cracks into it, and within moments, the ground erupted in an explosion of falling rocks and fire. Buu's curiousity was nearing its peak. He felt as if he could do anything with nothing more than a thought. This power ... there was something special about it.   
Again, Buu decided to put his acquired power to the test. He raised his arm, and along with it, huge pillars of molten rock and fire gushed out from the ground. He looked up towards the sky, focusing on a single point high up. The white, fluffy clouds that hovered in clumps began to turn gray, and move towards the point Buu was focusing on. They gradually became thicker, as lighting began to form inside.   
  
Buu was too busy testing his new found powers to notice that Vegeta, Gohan, Goku, Juuhachi Gou, and Piccolo were flying at him with a fury of kicks, punches and fireballs. None of it phased him. With his hand still raised, Buu brought it down hard, and the sky exploded with hundreds of lighting bolts, each one striking the ground with a sharp, explosive sound that cracked the air around them.   
  
***   
  
This ki was strangely familiar to Goku. It definitely didn't belong to Buu. It belonged to somebody a lot more powerful. But who? Goku scanned his memory thinking of all the possibilities. It couldn't have been Cell, Frieza or Juunana Gou, as each of they lay before him. Could Buu have taken the powers of all three of them and combined it with his own? It wouldn't explain why they were so weak and he was so powerful, and it seemed like something Buu was capable of doing.   


But that didn't feel right either. The energy Buu was giving off felt powerful, yet vulnerable. It forced Goku to feel ... protective? Did that energy Buu was tapping into belong to somebody Goku cared about? He tried considering other possibilities but the protective instinct didn't leave Goku's head. It felt almost paternal.   
  
A powerful fireball collided with Goku from the side, sending him flying helplessly into a giant boulder. But none of it phased him. Goku was thinking of the possibility that perhaps Goken -   
No ... there was just no way in hell it was possible. He was supposed to have died fourteen years ago, and reincarnated into a different person, on a different world completely severed from this world. There was no way Goku's son, Goken, could've returned.   
Chichi and Gohan would be thrilled at the thought, especially after discovering that Doale was the Firebird. But Goku didn't want to take any chances in bringing up false hope. He wanted to be sure about this before he made any announcements. He was going to find out.   
  
"Dad, where are you going?!" Gohan shouted, shocked at his father's sudden departure as he lifted off into the air.   
  
"I'm going to cut off Buu from his power source," Goku replied. "Something isn't right about it. Just take care of him for now. I'll be back." He didn't give Gohan a chance to reply before he put this two fingers to his forehead and disappeared in a modest display of warped, vertical lines.


	20. Chapter 15: The Final Battle Part 2

"Dad!!" Gohan screamed, but it was too late. His father was already gone. How could he do this to them when they needed him the most? Gohan wasn't sure how Goku planned on cutting off Buu from his power source. He was aware too that these weren't Buu's powers, but where would Goku go to look for the source to cut it off in the first place?   
  
Gohan's train of thought came to a sudden crash when he saw a familiar form step into his peripheral vision. Only one person wore black rusted armor like that, with a huge cape swallowing his small built body. And that person was supposed to be dead.   
  
"What are you doing here, Doale?" Gohan asked, moving into a fighting stance.   
  
"Asking you to listen to me," the young Emperor replied. "Buu is using somebody else's energy as his own, making him ten times more powerful!"   
  
"Can you state the oblivious anymore?" Gohan said rolling his eyes. "I want to know what you're doing alive after I've disposed of you."   
  
"Damnit Gohan!" Doale shouted in frustration. "You have no idea what's going on here! Do you have any idea who Buu is using as an energy source?! It was supposed to be me but instead, he's got -"   
  
A swift fireball cut in between Gohan and Doale and exploded, throwing both of them backwards and off their feet. "Dying once isn't enough for you, is it, Doale?" Buu said, grinning widely, his pink face stretching back to reveal rows of white teeth.   
Something caught Doale's eye. It was black, and made of a square shaped plastic casing. It was a device based on the T3 technology. It was what Buu used to reach into the afterlife to absorb Doale's powers. He must've dropped it in the fight!! Doale had to get it back, or they'd never be able to send the pink demon and the other resurrected enemies back to the underworld. It was time for a little diversion. "So you planned to use me, even after I died," Doale spat. "You backstabbing asshole."   
"But look what I got instead!!" Buu declared, throwing another fireball at Doale that exploded upon coming into contact with his chest plate. Again, the young Emperor found himself painfully eating dust as he collided with the ground, a few feet closer to the device than he'd planned. If he kept this up, and if Buu could concentrate on Gohan, Doale would be able to get the device and send the demon back to the depths of hell. "I have the power of the Devotee!!" Buu declared raising his fists, turning to face Gohan, just as Doale had hoped.   
  
Recovering from the initial fireball blast, Gohan winced in pain as he got up, Buu's words fueling him. The Devotee?! That could only mean ...   
"No!!" Gohan screamed. "You ... Goken?!" Gohan was it too much shock, too much rage to form coherent sentences.   
  
"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Doale said.   
  
"But how in the world?!"   
  
Buu picked up Gohan with an invisible force coming forth from his hands, as Gohan struggled against it, kicking his legs helplessly. Doale, acting out of pure adrenaline dashed at Buu with a devastating flying kick that connected with the side of his head.   
Buu's head snapped sharply to the left upon impact. He simply readjusted his head and smashed his fist into Doale's shoulder, causing him to fly uncontrollably backwards at an incredible speed - again. At this point, Doale was getting sick of being beaten around. If only Buu wasn't using Ken's powers, he could be taken down with ease. God, what was Goku doing?   
  
***   
  
Chichi's heart nearly skipped a beat, when she heard Buu speak. Bulma gasped just about as loud as she did as they watched the action unfolding together from Kami's palace.   
Chichi looked at Bulma with tears forming in her eyes. "Did he just say something about the Devotee?" she asked, hopeful that her ears had served her well.   
Bulma nodded, nose and mouth still covered by her hands. "Don't get any hopes up, Chichi," she advised, nodding her head, trying to sound rational. "We could've heard wrong. Logically there's no way Goken could return."   
Videl, who sat with them watching and hoping for the safety of her husband Gohan, realized she was missing out on something. "Who's Goken?" she asked.   
Chichi turned to Videl. Her eyes showed what she wanted to say more than her mouth did. "Goken is ..."   
"We'll explain when this is all over," Bulma offered, upon realizing Chichi wasn't able to return to the memory of her son. "We just want to confirm what's going on first."   
  
***   
  
Ken thought it was just an illusion at first, his eyes playing a trick on his mind. He thought he saw a golden flash of light amongst the enveloping darkness. But he was stuck here, in some dimensional tear between the living and the dead, being used as some energy source. How could there be anything, let alone light in here?   
"This is going to kill me," he said quietly to himself. But there it was again. It was the same, golden light. Only this time he could see it clearly, shaped like a large golden dragon surrounded by seven glowing orbs of light. And also, this time it didn't simply flicker. It stayed long enough for Ken to catch a glimpse of the man standing on the dragon's forehead.   
He was dressed in some form of fighting gi, the strangest Ken had ever seen. His hair was long, reaching down to his back in long, golden spikes. Bolts of electricity sizzled in the air surrounding him. He was a threatening presence, and Ken couldn't tell whether he was here to do good or harm.   
"Or maybe I'm dead already and this guy's my guardian angel."   
"Don't be ridiculous," the man replied, smirking. "Come on." He extended his arm. "Let's get out of here."   
"What?!" This was too easy. Here Ken was, trapped in some dark oblivion, and a dragon man comes and paves the way out, and all he has to do is walk? There must've been a catch. "What are you, some kind of god?" Ken asked.   
"I'm your father," the man said bluntly.   
"Right, and I've been posessed by Satan," Ken said, sarcastically.   
The man thought for a moment. "Close enough."   
Ken remained silent for a moment. "... Okay, what the hell. After everything that's happened, nothing surprises me anymore." He reached out and got a firm grip onto the man's hand, and suddenly, as if on cue, the darkness melted away.   
  
***   
  
Gohan, beaten up and bloody, completely weak from exhaustion and from being smashed countless times into rocks and boulders, would not give up. It was his last attempt and hurting Buu. His fist flailed carelessly in the air, aimed generally at Buu's grinning head.   
The pink demon knew Gohan couldn't hurt him. After all, with the power of the Devotee on his side, there was no phasing him. So naturally, the level of shock from both Buu and Gohan was intense when Gohan's pathetic attempt at a punch connected into Buu's face, and shot right through his head.   
Gohan stared wide eyed for a moment, brought his foot up to Buu's chest and kicked him away. The pink demon stumbled helplessly backwards from the force and landed on his butt.   
Buu got up, his face reappearing in the hole Gohan's fist made in his head. He wiped a trail of blood from his lip and charged at the demi saiyan. Gohan spun around and performed a spinning back kick into Buu's head, forcing him to land painfully head first into the ground. Gohan braced himself, waiting for Buu to get up to finish the fight off. But surprisingly enough, he stayed down on the ground. Had Goku done what he said he was going to do? Was Buu cut off from his power supply? Gohan looked at Doale who stood a few feet away, whose eyes were just as wide in surprise.   
"That was ... anticlimactic," Doale said.   
"I'm back!" a voice declared cheerfully. Goku reappeared with an unconscious body slung over his shoulder. "Did you guys give Buu a good fight?" He saw the beaten up bodies of Juuhachi Gou, Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan and Emperor Doale. Save for the last two who barely stood, they were collapsed onto the ground, coated in a fine layer of dust. Each one of them knocked out cold.   
  
"I'm... not finished... yet," Buu said, struggling to get up.   
  
"Yes you are," Doale insisted as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a square shaped devide made of a black plastic. "You sorta dropped this in the fight." Buu realized what Doale was holding in his hands, and his face twisted into an expression of horror.   
  
"No!!" he screamed in protest. But Doale didn't care about Buu's thoughts. At this point, the pink demon didn't even deserve life, let alone any opinions. He punched a short code into the device, and saw the sight of Buu's body, and the bodies of Cell, Juunana Gou and Frieza erupt in a huge fireball. Their temporary physical shells were being destroyed while their souls began their journey back to the underworld.   
  
Goku, Gohan and Doale stood silently for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief. Doale took the device, threw it on the ground and smashed it beneath his heel. He didn't want to take anymore risks in bringing anyone back from the dead.   
  
"Good choice," Goku said, giving him a thumbs up. "We've got something else to take care of." Goku dropped carefully to his knees and lay Ken's weak, unconscious body onto the ground.   
  
Gohan had choked on the lump in his throat. Lying before him was the face of his reincarnated brother. His clothes were ripped up, his hair was messed up and dirt caked his body, but aside from a possibly different name, his face was the same, and the energy surrounding him was the same. It was Goken.   
  
Gohan looked off towards the distance, seeing Goten, Dende and Trunks pop their heads out from behind a boulder. Doale had seen them too, and motioned for them to come over. Dende had some healing to do.   
  
"Goten," Gohan called after his younger brother, "come here! I want you to meet the person that helped to give you life." Gohan looked at the unconscious body of Ken before him, realizing how explaining they owed to him, to help him remember his past life, and update him on what happened since then. And then Ken would have to tell them about all the things he's done in his life, about all the love, friendship and happiness he never got to experience as Goken. They would have to explain to Goten, Videl, Pan, Trunks and even Goken himself why Goken's story was kept a secret. Gohan smiled. Yes, they all had alot of talking to do.   



	21. Interlude: End of a Dark Empire

A gentle breeze engulfed a single figure, standing on the neatly tiled platform of the Dark Palace. At this height, the blowing wind was always constant. It picked up his black cape, ruffled his brown, unkept hair. Emperor Doale stood gazing at the sight before him. Hundreds of people smeared with blackened dirt, wearing torn rags for clothes, looked up at him with shiny faces, greasy from the years of labor they have endured. Their Emperor had called them for an assembly. Upon hearing the announcement, they flooded to the congregation area in the palace courtyard in fear for their lives. Every single one of them stared at the Emperor with wide, fearful eyes, uncertain of what to expect.

These were the people from various dimensions and worlds, all enslaved and united to work as servants to Doale. They were responsible for building his empire, researching his technology, and they were all afraid of him. They were trapped in a courtyard with twenty foot thick brick walls enclosing the compound. They were open, vulnerable for attack. And they knew their Emperor didn't give two shits about their lives. Doale opened his mouth to speak and the slaves winced, preparing themselves for the torture that was about to befall them. Whether it was a random draw of the lottery to see who would be killed, or a public execution of a fellow slave who broke the rules, they didn't know. 

"I'm sorry." There was no response, only the sound of the dry wind racing across the barren desert sand. Doale drew in a deep breath, and spoke again. "My whole life, I've done terrible things." Now the congregation seemed to be listening, instead of curling back in fear. "I've taken every one of you from your homes. I've destroyed your lives and your families. I have humiliated, tortured, and killed many of you. I was a person who was filled with greed. Everytime I got what I wanted, I wanted more. No matter how much you've offered to me as a people, you were never able to fully satisfy my greed. That is because it was impossible to satisfy. And I took my frustrations out on you." Doale paused, trying to put his feelings into words. Regret? Sorrow? Shame? Every one of those words, and more. "I've experienced more. In the last few days we've been here, I've experienced frustration, grief, confusion, friendship, love, life, and even ... death. Words cannot express my shame at this point, and I can't expect a few words to earn me your forgiveness. But I can start by doing this. Doale waved his arm into the open air in front of him, and the huge oak doors that led into freedom opened up as a sharp gust entered, cutting the congregation into two. But nobody stepped out the doors. "I understand if you think this is some cruel trick," Doale said. "But I can assure you, it's not. This is your chance at freedom. And if it were some trick, all of you were gathered here just a few moments ago, ready to die. You have nothing to lose." Slowly, one by one, the people began heading out the gates. At first in small groups, but later grew in masses. Doale stood watching them, letting warm tears flow freely down his cheeks. He may have taken many lives, but today, he was giving life, hope and freedom to whoever remained. "The Dark Empire, from here on, is considered dissolved," he said quietly to himself. Nobody was listening, but he needed to say that much. He needed closure. 

* * *

Doale paced through the now empty halls of his palace, hearing his footsteps echo through the empty hallway. Just moments ago, they were filled with the sounds of his palace guards, the servants, and soldiers alike. Now they were empty and bound to be like this forever. Soon, Doale himself was to abandon this palace, the symbol of power his parents had began. He didn't feel sad. In fact, he felt proud; proud that he was able to see the wrong doings of his family, proud that he was able to do something about it. 

"Sir," out of nowhere, a voice addressed Doale. The young Emperor turned around to see the General standing there, the man that had raised him since he was a child, the man that had betrayed him when Buu took over his rule. "I just wanted to say that I owe you an apology too."

"Please, General," Doale said, "I don't want to hear it. From here on, I expect everyone to make a fresh start."

"I insist. I can't get onto a fresh start without apologizing for betraying you. I mean, since you were young, you were like a son to me. And what I've done …"

Doale walked up to the General and wrapping his arms around the General's waist, gave him a brief hug. "Thanks for being there for me."

The General smiled. "I'm going home," he said. "I'm going back to my family."

"Well you better hurry up," Doale replied, slapping him on the back. "The ships are leaving the planet now."

"What about you, sir? Are you going to be staying on this world?"

Doale thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think I will. I don't know why but this world … it's like home to me. Weird explanation, I know. But I don't know what else to say. I like it here."

"Good luck," the General said. "I better get going now. With the T3 technology, we'll be sure to drop by for a visit sometime."

"You're always welcome," Doale replied, waving to his adoptive father as he left the halls of the palace forever. 


	22. Epilogue: A Lifetime Among the Stars

Ken felt the soft leathery cushion of a sofa engulf his body as he let it carry his weight. It was comfortably soft, but to the point where it suffocated him. It helped ease the uneasiness that lingered in the air of the room he was in. This was the Son residence, and his previous home, or at least so he was told. It was slightly damaged with a gaping hole in the roof from some previous fire, but it was still habitable.   
  


It looked like any regular family living room he'd seen before with a large oriental rug in the middle of the floor with a glass coffee table centered carefully on it. The others sat on seperate chair, one person recliners, or merely lay down on the floor, all of their eyes fixed uncomfortably on him. Ken sat on the long four person sofa alone, making the uneasiness even more obvious.   
  


"So," a nerdy looking man with thick glasses began, "does any of this look familiar to you?" The gentle looking woman, with hair tied neatly into a bun, gave the nerdy man a nasty look.   
"Gohan, you could be a little less direct," she said.   
  


"Kind of," Ken replied, "but I'll have to wait for my memories to come back."   
"This is kind of uneasy for you, I understand," the woman with the bun said sympathetically. "I mean, you're being asked to recall the memories of a child who died fourteen years ago. It's okay ... if you need some time, I mean." She placed a soft delicate hand on her chest. "My name is Chichi. I am that boy's mother - your mother."   
  


"My name is Ken," Ken replied, "and yet ... although we've never met, I feel like I know you." "Remember," Gohan, the nerdy guy, said, "what you told me all those years ago?"   
  


_Put your faith in what you most believe in  
Two worlds, one family  
Trust your heart  
Let fate decide  
To guide these lives we see  
  
_

***   
  


_Goku__ pulled Gohan gently away, holding him by the shoulders, and looked straight into his eyes. "You've done an amazing job without me," he said. "An amazing job in school, in taking care of your mom and your brother. And I need you to be strong and keep this up. Only this time, Goken won't be with you."   
Gohan wiped the back of his hand against his nose. "I know," he said, "but he'll be safe in the afterlife right?"   
  
_

_"I'm not staying here in the afterlife either," Goken interrupted.   
"What?" Gohan asked, "Then where are you going?"   
"I've been given a second chance at life," Goken began. "In the afterlife, the gods have separated my soul from the Firebird's soul. He's in the underworld right now, paying for his crimes. They've determined that my course in this life was unfair, and they want to give me a second chance. They said it's up to me whether or not I want to take it."   
  
_

_"That's terrific! So that means you'll be coming back to stay with us, right?" Gohan couldn't believe it. All along he believed that by destroying the Firebird, he'd have to destroy his brother as well. It was a fact that always made him think twice about doing it. But here Goken was, being given a second chance at life!   
  
_

_"That's not quite the case," Goku explained, seeing a shocked   
expression unfold on Gohan's face.   
  
_

_"What do you mean?" he asked.   
  
_

_"I'm given a second chance at life," Goken repeated, "I'll be living in a different world, a different dimension, and I'll have a different name. It's a completely different life and identity for me."   
  
_

_"Oh, I see…"   
  
_

_"They told me the decision is entirely up to me, so I don't think I'll be taking it." Goken said.   
  
_

_"What?!__ Why not?" Gohan asked.   
  
_

_"Because that means all my memories of this life will be replaced.__ Mom, you and Dad mean so much to me, I can't imagine not even remembering you. I can't do it!"   
  
_

_"That is a foolish reason," Goku said. "Do you think that's what we really want? For you to throw away a second chance at life?"   
  
_

_"I don't know. I just don't want to forget."   
  
_

_"You'll have new memories," Gohan said, trying to encourage Goken. "You'll have a much better life with a new family, new friends. How could you say no to that?"   
Goken's lip began trembling and tears welled up in his eyes. "Because I'm gonna miss you guys."   
  
_

_"I promise," Goken tried to say in between sobs, "I promise in my next life, I'll make up for everything bad I've done in this life." Gohan was crying to hard to say anything. His face wet and red. All he could do was nod. "And in the end, when I'm done," Goken continued, "I'll come back here and see everyone again. I promise!"_   
  
  


A paradise untouched by man  
Within this world blessed with love  
A simple life, they live in peace

***   
  


The memory came back to Ken in a flash, like it had been locked up in the depths of his mind his whole life. "Holy shit," he said. "That's so creepy. And now I'm back. It's like I kept my promise. So those dreams I had of an Eight Star Dragon Ball, ..."   
  


"It kept you to your promise," Gohan said. "It brought you back to us. Do you remember the baby you gave to me just before we parted?"   
  


"Vaguely," Ken replied. "I ... I named the baby didn't I?" The memory was too fuzzy, but the fact that he named the child he was sure of."   
  


"Yeah," Gohan nodded, "and he's sitting right there." Gohan motioned over to Goten who until then, calmly sat cross legged on the floor. Goten's eyes were now wide open, his jaw hanging loosely open.   
  


The woman beside Gohan, who wore her black hair in twin pony tails down the sides of her head, began to speak. "Why haven't you told us about your brother Goken?" she asked.   
  


"Because it wouldn've been easier to get over his death, Videl," Gohan replied.   
  


"But if you're going to make grieving easier, it would be better to tell others about it. I had no idea you and Chichi were that torn apart because of the death of your brother but how do you think would that make Ken feel?"   
  


Gohan was thankfully saved by a muffled voice coming from outside, beckoning the others to come out. "Come on Gohan, Chichi, Videl, Ken, Goten! You've got some visitors!" The group got up from their seats, leaving a warm indentation in the fabric and headed out the door that broke off it's hinges upon opening.   
  


Just in front of the house, the blue faced, amphibian like Kaiosama stood with his hands folded behind his robust torso. Beside him stood two familiar forms. To his left, Goku stood smiling happily, waving his hand childishly at them. To his right ...   
  


"Doale," Chichi said endearingly. She approached the young Emperor and embraced him in a tight hug, kissing him on the cheek. He hugged her back, equally happy to see her, tears flowing slowly out the corners of his eyes. Doale's face was caked with dirt, his brown hair ruffled and all over the place. His once proud cape was torn and now only reached to his waist in places. His armor was cracked and rusty. Despite his beaten up appearance, his face smiled with pride and happiness upon seeing Chichi and the others. "We heard about what you did with your Empire. We're all very proud of you." Videl, Goten, and even Gohan nodded in agreement.   
  


"It takes alot for someone to admit they're wrong," Gohan continued, "let alone sacrifice their wealth and power for the greater good. And for what it's worth, for how I treated you, I was wrong and I'm sorry."   
  


"Thanks," Doale said, "but there's someone I owe this all to." Doale faced Ken and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for giving me this chance. If it wasn't for the Goken's kindness I inherited, I would have never found this peace I'm experiencing right now. Thank you, Ken." Doale gave him a gratuitous hug.   
  


Ken wasn't sure how to react, but returned the gesture after a few seconds of hesitation. "No problem, buddy," he said, patting the young emperor on the back.   
Chichi smiled warmly upon seeing how they reacted with each other. She leaned over and whispered to Gohan, "Who would've guessed that the Firebird and Goken, two mortal enemies, would befriend each other and grow to think of each other as brothers as Doale and Ken?" Gohan smiled at the irony.   
  


"Yeah, who would've known?"   
  


"I hate to break this apart," Kaiosama said, clearing his throat, "But Doale, you have a decision to make."   
  


Doale nodded, "Yes, I do."   
  


"What decision?" Chichi asked.   
  


"Just like the promise Ken made fourteen years ago, to make up for all the bad that he's done in his life, I was also bounded to that promise," Doale explained. "Since coming to this world, I've come to find the good in me, a good that I never knew existed. I've freed the slaves of my empire, and have destroyed the threat my own presence has posed."   
  


"Therefore," Kaiosama continued, "having kept his promise, Doale's spirit can now be set free." Kaiosama turned to Doale. "He must now decide whether to live his life as a mortal here on earth, or up in the heavens, where he has earned a place for himself."   
  


_Raise your head up  
Lift high the load  
Take strength from those that need you  
Build high the walls  
Build strong the beams  
A new life is waiting  
But danger's no stranger here  
  
_

In Chichi's mind, the answer was simple. "Stay here with us," she said. "You've become one of us now."   
  


"Yes," Goku agreed. "You were partly responsible for helping us save this planet. You've lost your empire, but you've found a new, better home. Don't throw that away."   
Even Ken joined in. "I've just left my previous home to discover my past life here. I'm starting over here too. You won't be going through this alone."   
  


_No words describe a mother's tears  
No words can heal a broken heart  
A dream is gone, but where there's hope  
  
_

"You're all making it harder to say no," Doale said wiping the moisture away from his eyes. He sniffed. "But you know what? My purpose in life has been fulfilled. There is no reason for me to remain here anymore. Knowing that I have earned everybody's acceptance, trust, hell even everyone's love, you know, that's something I've never experienced before. And that's all I need to know to keep me at peace." He turned to Kaiosama. "Therefore, I'm going to have to choose the heavens. Kaiosama, I'm ready." And with that, the north God nodded and Doale's body was engulfed in a gentle, radiating light.   
  


"Remember, that you will always have a place with us here, too," Chichi said. Doale nodded in acknowledgement and closed his eyes in peace. Just as his body vanished into thin air and headed for the heavens, for a split second, Chichi could've sworn she saw him lose his composure, breaking down into tears. 

* * *

_Softly tread the sand below your feet now  
Two worlds, one family  
Trust your heart  
Let fate decide  
To guide these lives we see_

"Sixty six, sixty seven…" Ken had lost count of the stars in the sky. He decided to take his focus off the individual pinpoints of light and take in the view as a whole. They dotted the sky like millions of jewels of different colors. Some where white, blue, yellow and others were even red. They varied in sizes, ranging from a grain of sand to small stones, all against a pitch-black backdrop. 

Ken hung his legs down the edge of the cliff as he looked onwards. A light breeze blew against his body. He closed his eyes and took the breeze in, savoring every moment. Never in his life, did things feel this peaceful. The night sky looked just like this when he left his friends behind on his world. As he continued looking at the ocean of stars, he couldn't help but feel they were looking right back at him across the universe. 

_Somewhere something is calling for you  
Two worlds, one family  
Trust your heart  
Let fate decide  
To guide these lives we see_

He had started out his life as Goken, a warrior of the Eight Star Dragon Ball, only to be possessed by a creature called the Firebird and killed. He was given a second chance at life on another world, in another universe, and forgotten by his friends and family on this world. Now, he had returned to his birthplace to come back to his roots. His life had literally been spent sailing among the universe. 

"Ken," a voice said. Ken turned around to see who it was. It was the nerdy guy, Gohan.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? It's late."

"I'm just thinking," he replied, turning back to the heavens. "I couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, I couldn't either," Gohan said. "Mind if I join you?" 

Ken nodded, and he found a place beside him on the cliff edge. 

"So tell me," Gohan began, "what was your life on the other world like?"

Ken smirked. "You wanna here it all?" he asked. "We're gonna be here awhile."

"The bad guys are all dead. We have all the time in the world."

"It starts out there," Ken pointed at a distant galaxy. 

Another breeze blew, sending the grass blades and tree leaves into ripples. The land was dark, only slightly illuminated by the starlight. The silhouettes of Gohan and Ken could be seen, one leaning against a tree and the other lying back on his elbows. As he spoke, Ken's fingers pointed all over the sky, mapping out where he'd been in his lifetime, and explaining all of his experiences, against the backdrop of stars that represented the route of his entire existence. 

_   
  
   
  
Beneath the shelter of the trees  
Only love can enter here  
A simple life, they live in peace  
  
   
   
  
_

                                                                **THE END**

_Poetic Lyrics from "Two Worlds" by Phil Collins_


End file.
